


Urussia Yatsura!

by moonbow_gem



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Family Reunion, Fluff, Humour, M/M, OCs - Freeform, Romance, Vacation, VictUuri, but no smut, eccentric Russians, many OCs - Freeform, mentions emotional abuse, more chapters to come!, panic attack in one chapter, some lime in chapter 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-09-23 02:48:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 83,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9637559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonbow_gem/pseuds/moonbow_gem
Summary: When it all seems like this year's Nikiforov family reunion will need to be cancelled, Yu-Topia Katsuki becomes the impromptu meeting place for Victor's family. Can Yuuri and the Katsuki family put up with the Nikiforovs' eclectic mix of eccentric personalities or will These Obnoxious Aliens prove too much to handle? Chapter 3 gets a little lime-y. R&R!





	1. Victor Phone Home

Hey everyone! So, this entire story was supposed to be a oneshot but then it started getting hella long so I'm making it into a full story. This story uses some Russian, but there are translations at the end of each chapter. I had to use Google Translate, but hopefully, nothing sounds too awkward or is just plain wrong... Anyway, please enjoy! Please leave a review to help me improve! I'd like to hear what you liked or disliked or your random thoughts~.

* * *

_Victor Phone Home_

* * *

 

Before we begin, I've been told that a disclaimer is in order. It should be known that Yuuri Katsuki wishes to make this and this alone very clear: He had no idea that any of this would happen the way that it did, however, upon later inspection, everything – every strange occurrence and awkward moment – made sense considering Victor's own personality. In the moment, however, Yuuri Katsuki could not possible be blamed for the events that ensued, even if they did end rather happily. He does admit, however, that given the chance, he would definitely relive these events in hindsight. Now that that's out of the way, our story can commence.

It all started on what seemed like a regular Sunday afternoon. The hot springs were not the busiest they had ever been, but Yu-Topia Katsuki was definitely busy enough to keep its owners happy and the family's pockets reasonably full. Victor and Yuuri had been living at the resort with the Katsukis for a little while since they had started dating. They were in the process of looking for an apartment to move into, but until then, they were happy to help out at the resort for room and board. Their help wasn't needed at the moment, however, so the couple spent their time lounging about. That day in particular wasn't quite cold, but it was nippy, so after a relaxing dip in the spring, Victor had dressed himself in one of the inn's robes and was playing Candy Crush with his head in Yuuri's lap. Yuuri was busy reading an English hardcover copy of _Les Miserables_ which he had borrowed from Victor's personal library while Makkachin napped with his head resting on Victor's stomach. Everything was peaceful until the chorus of _Lum no Love Song_ by Nana Kitade rang out into the silence, causing Makkachin to raise his fluffy head and search for the origin of the sound. Yuuri looked down from his book at Victor, who was now sitting straight up, an excited grin quickly growing across his face. Before Yuuri could ask about when Victor had seen or read Urusei Yatsura, the platinum blond tapped the screen on his cellphone to take the call and brought the phone up to his face.

"Sergei! Ya skuchal po tebe!" exclaimed the silver haired Russian before laughing a little bit with happiness. His boyfriend and his dog watched him with silent curiosity. Who on earth was calling him from Russia? Whoever it was, Yuuri could hear their deep, booming voice respond with a "Vitya!", Victor's Russian nickname, followed by some more Russian he didn't understand. The man on the other side of the call seemed so loud, but Victor didn't appear to mind, not even flinching as the caller was no doubt yelling into his ear.

As Yuuri continued to stare, Victor laughed when the other man was finished talking. He folded his legs underneath him and it seemed he would be too distracted to return to lying where he was. Too bad – Victor had been keeping Yuuri's legs warm. "Kak dela? Kak Oksana i Dmitri? Yavlyayetsya li on do sikh por v Anglii?"

The low voice spoke again for a longer time now and Victor would make little 'I'm listening' noises like "uh huh", "yeah", and "okay" before finally responding with a happy, "Oh, eto zamechatel'nyye novosti!".

By this point, Yuuri had given up trying to use his very simple knowledge of the Slavic language to decipher what his boyfriend was saying and he decided to return to his book. It was kind of hard to redirect his attention when he felt he could hear the caller so loud and clear. Honestly, it almost sounded like whoever it was was on speaker phone but Yuuri was sure he wasn't. Victor laid his free hand on the floor and shifted his weight onto it. "Menya? U menya vse khorosho... Ah-... Oh... Mmm hmm... Yes..."

Suddenly, Victor let out a gasp which caught both Yuuri and Makkachin's attention. "Da, konechno, ya pridu! Kogda eto? Ya prinesu **Yuuri** so mnoy."

 _Did he just say my name...?_ Yuuri thought. Now he was _really_ interested in Victor's conversation. He folded over the corner of the page he had stopped on and laid _Les Miserables_ on the floor beside him, now leaning in toward Victor to indicate his attention.

"O-oh... Alright... I see..." Victor's shoulders slumped a little. His blue eyes which were so full of excitement a second ago shifted and looked at the floor, that happy spark now mysteriously gone. Why did he look disappointed? Even the loud mouthed caller seemed to quiet down with the new negative tone of their conversation.

After some silence however, Victor's sad eyes widened in realization that pushed the sadness away. "Sergei, podozhdi minutu," he said to the man apparently named Sergei, the joy from before now evident once again on his face. "Ya mog by imet' plan. Pozvol'te mne nazyvat' tebya pozzhe, okay? ... Alright. Ciao ciao!"

When he finally hung up the phone, Yuuri took the opportunity to speak. "What was _that_ all about?"

Without warning, Victor had taken both Yuuri's shoulders in his hands to look straight into the younger man's eyes. Yuuri was slightly startled by this and made a little yelp noise as he was grabbed quickly.

"Yuuri!" said Victor, a determined look on his face. "I need to borrow the resort for a week!"

* * *

 

"A family reunion?" asked Yuuri curiously.

Victor and the Katsuki family were all gathered in the dining area after work hours. The five of them sat around the dinner table in the same places where they normally sat at each meal with Makkachin lounging in his little bed in the corner, chewing on a bone shaped squeaky toy while the humans discussed the content of Victor's prior conversation. It turned out that the man with the ear-splitting voice named Sergei Nikiforov was his oldest brother who was currently living in Ukraine with his wife and adult son. He'd called to tell Victor about the family reunion he was planning, however, he was having difficulty finding a place to host the week-long event. The family had spread out quite far over the years so it was important to find one place where they could all stay. Sergei had admitted that he thought it might not be possible to gather everyone this year and he was considering calling it off until his baby brother was struck with an idea.

"I know it's very last minute. Sergei always procrastinates on these things," explained Victor to the Katsuki family. "But it would really help us a great deal if we could host the reunion here."

"It sounds like a wonderful idea!" pipped Hiroko. Yuuri smiled at his mother as she turned to her husband with eager eyes. If there was one thing Mrs. Katsuki lived for, it was having guests over, and the fact that they were her son's boyfriend's family made her even more inclined to do everything she could to put Victor's plans in motion. "Toshiya, wouldn't it be so much fun to meet Victor's family?"

"It would be nice to see the tree that the apple fell from," said Mr. Katsuki, holding his chin thoughtfully.

Victor looked as though he could have jumped out of his seat. Instead, he reached across the table and took the Katsuki parents' hands in his gratefully. Mari and Yuuri watched him from their places with silent amusement. "Thank you both so much! You'll all love my family!"

"So how many people are we talking here?" asked Mari before stuffing a pink macaron into her mouth. One of their regulars who'd come back from a vacation in Paris brought a bundle of them as a gift to the family and now the French desserts sat in a little dish in the centre of the oak table.

"Hm, let's see," Victor looked up at the ceiling as if counting the people in his head. "There's my parents of course and my siblings and I suppose they'll want to bring their spouses... Hmm... _Is Ivanna still with that Matteo guy...? I can't remember_... Um, maybe like... Around... Ten people?"

Clearly, the family wasn't ready for that number because Yuuri stopped drinking his tea mid-sip, Mari almost choked on her macaron, and Toshiya's mouth gaped open. Hiroko looked a little shocked but quickly composed herself.

"Ten people!?" Mari gasped once she'd gotten the French dessert down her throat. "That's like all our rooms!"

"And this is just your _immediate_ family?" asked Yuuri. He couldn't believe Victor grew up with so many people in the same house. Granted, some of those people were siblings' spouses, but clearly, Victor's old home was likely more crowded than what he himself was used to with his own four-member family.

Victor shrunk a little with disappointment, but he tried to hide it in front of Yuuri's family. The change did not go unnoticed by Hiroko, however. Yuuri noticed it too and he suddenly felt guilty for his outburst. Victor covered it up with his signature smile and put his hands up in front of him. "It's fine if you can't do it. I'm sure Sergei and I can work out something else."

"No, we'll do it!" said Yuuri's mother, earning her surprised looks from the rest of her family. "It's fine. We can just book those rooms for the week."

"Honey," started Toshiya, his voice and expression holding a hint of concern. "If we do that, we won't have any rooms left for our guests."

"Well, maybe Victor's family members wouldn't mind sharing," she reasoned. "Toshiya, Victor is like part of our family now, so I really want to do this for him... _Please_?"

On the other side of the table, both Victor and Yuuri looked shocked by Hiroko's words. Yuuri hadn't realized how accustomed his family had grown to his boyfriend's presence over the past year. He glanced at Mari and she didn't seem surprised in the least. Could it be that she had similarly begun to see his Russian boyfriend as a second younger brother? Yuuri supposed that his family's fondness for Victor really shouldn't have been that hard for him to figure out. Victor had tried moving out after Yuuri won second at the Grand Prix Final because he didn't want to take advantage of the Katsukis' kindness. For a few weeks, he was only a ten minute walk away, but it turned out that the family had missed his energy too much for him to leave them. With this realization, Yuuri turned his gaze then to the platinum blond himself and the look in his blue eyes which displayed how moved he was by this casual revelation. The moment warmed Yuuri's core like a sweet cup of hot cocoa.

Toshiya sighed. He too considered Victor as close as family, especially after he saw just how much the Russian man really cared for his son. Maybe _five_ rooms being occupied for the week wouldn't be so bad. "Well, alright. But they will definitely need to share rooms." He turned to Victor then. "Will that be okay?"

"That will be more than okay!" Victor announced ecstatically, his mood automatically brightening. "Thank you so very much!"

* * *

 

About a month later, the day was finally upon them. It had started out more or less uneventful until the evening when Victor bolted excitedly to where Yuuri was playing cards with his sister in the living room, looking ever bit like a very large child running to the tree on Christmas day.

"Yuuri! Mari!" he called, out of breath from running so fast. "I just got a text from Sergei! They landed an hour ago and now, they're on their way!"

"That's great, Victor," said Mari, putting down her hand. Secretly, she was thankful for the interruption as she was losing anyway. "We'll be right there."

When Victor left, Yuuri's stomach suddenly started doing toe loops and flips. This was it. Yuuri was about to meet Victor's family. What would they even be like? Victor had given him vague descriptions over the past month, but nothing might paint a full picture of what to expect. He remembered hearing when he was very young that the Nikiforovs were a famous family not only because of Victor but because of other huge achievements within their ranks. Yuuri's heart sunk right into his belly. He was about to invite an all-star well-to-do family whose accomplishments did not stop at birthing the biggest figure skating legend in recent history who he himself had admired since childhood to stay two to a room in his tiny, modest little family-run hot spring resort on a bitty little Japanese island whose only current claim to fame was a fake ninja castle. On top of that, being Victor's current boyfriend, it was important that he make a good impression or else he might never be allowed around his former coach again having not met his family's expectations.

_What. Was. He. **Thinking**?!_

This was a horrible idea, but Yuuri had very little time to lament his past decisions when he heard the front door creak open.

The only sound he heard next was a booming chorus of, "Vitya!", followed by more loud talking in Russian. Slowly, Yuuri peaked around the corner of the living room into the hallway which lead to the front of the Katsuki dwelling. He could barely see a thing besides glimpses of the shadows of bustling Europeans in the foyer of the house moving about and speaking at a solid mezzo-forte. Yuuri breathed in deeply. He was so very nervous, but he couldn't possibly creep about back here. That would only make things worse if he seemed weird or standoffish so he picked himself up, gave himself a little mental pep talk, and headed out into the hallway to brave the mysterious unknown. When he finally got to the end, he found his own family huddled up against the wall nearest to him, watching the large group of swirling Russians with looks varying between excitement and cautious wonder. They'd realized a lot of people were coming, but nine people plus their own Victor in a small space certainly looked like a lot more than they imagined.

Yuuri joined the lineup beside Mari as different members of the group continued to talk over each other and exchange tearful embraces with the Russian figure skater, who was standing in the centre of the chaos like the eye of a storm. Yuuri thought to himself that he'd never seen a bigger collection of blue eyed platinum blonds in his life, most of them ranging between full moon silver, thunder cloud grey, and avalanche white. There was a tall slender graceful-looking woman in an expensive black fur coat with her long moonlight hair draping over her noble bony shoulders who had wrapped her long arms tightly around Victor's midsection and was sobbing something about, "Moy dragotsennyy Vitya!". She looked older than the other women who were there as evidenced by the soft creases around her emerald green eyes. She must have been Victor's mother. Yuuri looked at Victor's face and was surprised to see him looking down at his mother's white head with glassy blue eyes. Was he about to cry himself?

"Ya skuchal po tebe, mama," he said with a quiet, nearly quivering voice that Yuuri almost didn't recognize and the woman in his arms hugged him tighter. The group around them "awwed" in unison at the display. Seemed like a weird thing to do, Yuuri thought, but he supposed that such an emotional moment between parent and child might strike some people as rather cute.

Suddenly, as if the Katsuki family had only just then morphed into existence, Victor turned his attention to them and began speaking in his lightly accented English. "Katsuki family, let me introduce you!"

With that, the group of Europeans turned to the group of East Asians standing by the wall. The platinum blond in the middle then said the names of each of Yuuri's family while pointing at them individually. When he finally introduced Yuuri, the Russians seemed especially interested, each of their green and blue eyeing him carefully while he fidgeted underneath their gaze. He tried not to look too nervous, but he wasn't sure if it was working. What were they thinking? Was everything fine? Where they disappointed? The suspense was driving him nuts.

"So, Vitya, this is Yuuri?" asked one of the women who Yuuri had decided wasn't Victor's mother. The first thing Yuuri noticed about her was her waist-length white hair pulled up tightly into a high ponytail. The hourglass-shaped woman wore a fitted white military coat over her gracious chest paired with a black belt, dark stockings, and black leather knee-high boots which Yuuri swore must have been four inches tall. A careful application of rosy pink lipstick completed her high fashion look. This woman must have been one of the older sisters. Victor had explained to Yuuri before that he was the youngest child of five. The Russian woman's snowy voice made Yuuri even more nervous because he still couldn't tell what she thought of him, but then a smile crossed her pretty face and he was a little more inclined to be at ease. She approached the young man and Yuuri realized with some intimidation that she was taller than him. She looked like some sort of model, her fingers were perfectly manicured, and she smelled of expensive perfume. "He's a cute one, Vitya. He looks so innocent."

Victor laughed, his mother having let go of him a little while ago. "Of course! My Yuuri is adorable!"

"Er, hi!" Yuuri said to Victor's older sister, quite flustered by all the attention he was getting.

Suddenly, someone was grabbing at his arm from behind. Yuuri twirled quickly around to see Victor's mother closely inspecting his body with her watchful eyes. One could tell by looking at her aquiline features that once upon a time, she must have looked like a naive little swan, but knowledge and age transformed her into more of an eagle and she was using the expert vision which that afforded her to carefully scrutinize every last inch of the young man's body, even going so far as to grab at him wherever she felt she needed to. In her thickly accented English, she talked to herself as if taking note. "Hm, shoulders little small, but nice hard chest..."

"M-mama!" Victor stammered, stepping closer as if attempting to stop her. "What are you doing?!"

"I am checking to see how sturdy he is," Mama Nikiforov explained as she put one hand on her hip and pointed with the other, seeming not to find anything weird or awkward in the weird _and_ awkward things she was doing. "My darling Vitya needs big strong husband to help take care for children."

Yuuri's entire face including both his ears turned a brilliant shade of pink. _Husband?_ _ **Children**_ _? WHAT?_

The eccentric old woman seemed not to notice his reaction as she bent at the hip to get a good look at his midsection. "Hm, hips a little small, but you carry no children anyway, yes?" She did ask a question, but Yuuri could tell she wasn't really asking _him_.

As if the poor young figure skater couldn't possibly be made any more uncomfortable, a short and stocky old man with an intricate cane by his side and his dark brown hair in a ring around the shiny bald spot on his bullet-shaped head emerged from the crowd and said through an accent that made his English near indecipherable, "Check the legs, Anushka".

Mrs. Nikiforov then bent on her knees and wrapped her hands around Yuuri's right thigh, squeezing it slightly and seeming to check to see if her thumbs and index fingers would meet. Yuuri nearly yelped with surprise and his entire body went straight like a board, a nervous sweat dripping down his forehead. Mrs. Nikiforov smiled with satisfaction when she found her fingers did not meet. "Yes, very firm, quite strong. He will do."

A chill was still going up and down Yuuri's spine as his family watched uselessly with their mouths hanging open. _W-what the hell is going on?!_ thought Yuuri. He didn't even know Victor's mother's name and she was already invading his personal space!

Victor gently took his mother's hands then, pulling her away from his nervous boyfriend and looking almost as flustered as Yuuri. The younger Japanese man barely noticed this as his own family could only stare with expressions ranging between shock and horror. "Mama, please! Just... let me introduce you all, alright?"

The tall, slender woman gasped and covered her mouth with one of her thin delicate hands. "Oh! Where are my manners?"

 _I think you left them somewhere in between my legs_ , Yuuri thought sarcastically as he began to relax a bit.

Victor flashed his boyfriend a brief apologetic look before freeing his mother's hands from his grasp. Behind him, a large white hulk of a man with a large black ushanka perched atop his head giggled, or, he probably _meant_ to giggle but it came out as a booming roar that threatened to destroy the entire house. "Oh, mama, you are so funny!"

* * *

**Translations**

* * *

  * Victor: "Sergei! Ya skuchal po tebe!" – Sergei! I've missed you!
  * Victor: "Kak dela? Kak Oksana i Dmitri? Yavlyayetsya li on do sikh por v Anglii?" – How are you? How are Oksana and Dmitri? Is he still in England?
  * Victor: "Oh, eto zamechatel'nyye novosti!" – Oh, that's great news!
  * Victor: "Menya? U menya vse khorosho."– Me? I've been well.
  * Victor: "Da, konechno, ya pridu! Kogda eto? Ya prinesu Yuuri so mnoy." – Yes, of course I'll come! When is it? I'll bring Yuuri with me.
  * Victor: "Sergei, odozhdi minutu." – Sergei, wait a minute.
  * Victor: "Ya mog by imet' plan. Pozvol'te mne nazyvat' tebya pozzhe, okay?" – I might have a plan. Let me call you later, okay?
  * Anastasia: "Moy dragotsennyy Vitya!" – My precious Vitya!
  * Victor: "Ya skuchal po tebe, mama" – I missed you, mama.




	2. The Nikiforovs and the Catskeys

Hey everyone! :D Thanks so much for all the love you guys gave the first chapter! Now here's the second~

 _Azile (Fenriz)_  - Thanks! :) And yeah, I could imagine... My family's not huge, but it's not exactly small either. lol

 _SammyLerma_  - Thank you!  Hope you enjoy this next chapter. :)

* * *

_The Nikiforovs and the Catskeys_

* * *

Yuuri thought that nothing that happened that night could top that introduction to Victor's parents, the tall slender old woman who grabbed at him without permission or warning named Anastasia and the short stocky balding man with a cane who encouraged her named Vladimir. He thought wrong.

Since the Katsukis had decided to close the hot springs early and because they had so many guests over, it was decided that dinner would be had in the commercial dining room rather than the smaller one where they normally ate. That way, they could push the tables together to accommodate everyone. Still, it was a wonder that the two families could all fit comfortably. Luckily, the Nikiforovs seemed to treat every new experience as some kind of adventure just like Victor himself did when he first arrived at Hasetsu. One from the party kept snapping pictures of things, even things that seemed very boring and mundane. Yuuri was at least relieved that his family's simple dwelling wouldn't be looked down upon like he'd originally thought, so sitting together at a cramped dinner table really wasn't all that bad.

Yuuri's family sat in their normal positions with his parents beside each other then Mari, then Yuuri himself, and then Victor beside him. On Victor's other side was Anastasia, a former prima ballerina who had taught her youngest son ballet, with Vladimir, the former captain of Russia's Olympic hockey team who taught his youngest son how to skate, beside her.

Next was the infamous Sergei, the eldest, an Olympic powerlifter and a giant of a man with an iron white fauxhauk, a strong jaw lined with silvery muttonchops, and the biggest muscles Yuuri thought he'd ever seen. Sergei could probably crush a watermelon in one of his meaty hands. It was really no wonder people called him the Russian Hulk. On his left side was his wife, Olympic Ukrainian swimmer Oksana Bondarenko, a musclebound curly-haired redhead herself, but nowhere near as huge as her husband. Still though, Yuuri would bet money on her in a fight against anyone else.

Next in line came the woman Yuuri had thought looked like a model, the beautiful opera singer Ivanna Nikiforova, the eldest sister in the family and second oldest overall who had moved to Bulgaria at the age of 18 where she had married and divorced three and a half times (Victor advises you don't ask about the half – it's a long and complicated story that you don't want to hear). Ivanna had prominent cheekbones and was always brushing her white asymmetric bangs out of her face. Yuuri wondered briefly why she didn't just pin it up with her tight high ponytail to keep it out of her face. She had the kind of look to her eyes that made it obvious why so many men fell for her so easily. It was the same look Victor liked to flash at paparazzi to make their hearts stop in their chests.

Beside her came Alexei Nikiforov, a fae-like man with a soft breathy voice and long, spidery limbs. He had a serene look to his eyes and a fluffy silver Harry Styles-esque wings cut upon his head. Alexei was the second oldest brother and a famous painter living in Poland with his three small children and his odd little wife who sat beside him, a Polish woman apparently called Eclipse. Yuuri didn't know anything about her other than the fact that she was a famous photographer because she hadn't said a single word since she entered the house (and actually, none of the Katsukis could remember seeing her come in at all), but she was dressed in all black and carried a camera around her neck and Yuuri was fairly certain that her name wasn't Eclipse. With her deathly pale skin, her dark bob topped with a soft pompadour, black lipstick and beret, she reminded Yuuri of a modern Morticia Addams but with much larger hips.

Rounding out the table yet another strange character, Victor's second older sister and the second youngest overall (but technically, Alexei's twin sister), Yulia Nikiforova, a famous actress who had gone on a long hiatus in order to find herself. During that time, she'd visited many lands and became many different people, but right now, she was Sister Julia, a nun from an Eastern Orthodox monastery in Belarus. She had insisted on blessing the food before everyone ate and she carried a small Russian Bible around with her wherever she went. Yulia had very pretty long grey eyelashes fanning over her turquoise eyes which her little brother had clearly borrowed for himself and her shoulder-length grey French braid would have been visible if not for her traditional religious headdress.

The Katsuki family dinners had never been this full, but they had also never been this loud and busy. Victor had of course insisted that his family have katsudon as their first official meal in Japan and Hiroko was happy to oblige. The meal was met with such roaring reviews as, "Amazing!" and "Vkusno!". Mari had barely touched her bowl as she was too busy watching the other family as if she had accidentally stumbled upon the scary clown circus and didn't quite know how to leave. The chorus of praise she'd originally heard coming out of Victor's own mouth only about a year ago when she first met him sounded now a lot like the Australian seagulls from that children's movie she couldn't remember the name of just that moment... It was something about a fish...

"Mrs. Catskey, this cat-soo-don is absolutely magnifique!" said Alexei joyously, his pale face pink with delight. He hadn't quite gotten the pronunciation of Katsuki or katsudon down just yet.

Hiroko blushed a little at the compliment. "Oh, well, don't give me _all_ the praise! Yuuri helped out too."

"So he cooks too!" exclaimed Ivanna, now leaning into the table and making a bridge with her manicured hands to rest her chin upon. "Yuuri, our little Vitya's told me so many good things about you!"

"Yes, he has!" added Anastasia with a pretty smile. Victor merely beamed at Yuuri himself and leaned his head on his right hand, not at all ashamed that his praise of his boyfriend was about to be dumped out on the table. "He told me you are very considerate and cute and loyal too!"

"Well, you are only one we get to meet," said Vladimir in his low gruff voice. "You must be special one."

Yuuri blinked at that. _'Only one we get to meet'...?_ He'd talked to Victor about the previous entries in the book of his sex life, but he'd never thought to ask which of those people were introduced to his parents. Now, he was a little curious...

"So he cooks, he's athletic, he is a nice guy," Ivanna listed, and said the next part just as casually as the first. "Sex is good too, right?"

The Katsukis simultaneously stopped eating, Toshiya coughing violently as his tea had gone down the wrong tube. Hiroko reached out to check if her husband was alright, but more than anything, she was just trying to escape the situation. Mari shrunk back and shifted her gaze over to Yuuri's beet red face, wide-eyed with horror.

"E-excuse me?" asked Yuuri in a timid voice.

Sergei let out another booming laugh while Alexei groaned and rolled his eyes. " _Every time_ , Ivanna!"

"What?" asked the perplexed woman. "Sex is important too! There is nothing wrong with it. Sex is normal and healthy."

"Oh, Ivanna! You never change!" chortled Victor's massive brother, the table shaking slightly with his mirth. Toshiya had finally stopped coughing by now, but he still did not look like he was okay. Regardless, he was assuring his wife that he was fine and was going to take another swig of tea to wash everything away. Mari looked like she wanted for a fiery sinkhole to open up beneath her from which she would be saved by Superman only for him to drop her back in from an even higher distance.

"Aw, Ivanna, look!" Oksana complained and gestured toward the terrified looking Yuuri. "Look what you did! You have scared him."

The young Japanese man was suddenly jolted back to reality from whatever safer haven his mind had drifted off to. He looked around the table to see if anyone besides his family was in shock at all of this. Sergei just kept on laughing, Oksana sighed beside him but was otherwise oddly calm as was Alexei, Eclipse just sat and looked around with a weirdly satisfied grin (she also might have taken a picture when no one was looking as Yuuri swore he saw a flash), Yulia looked as if she were praying for all of their immortal souls, Vladimir had somehow fallen asleep in all the chaos, Anastasia was drinking her tea as if nothing strange was happening and Victor... well, Victor...

"We should all take a dip in the hot spring after this!" he chimed, bright as a bell with a heart-shaped grin and a bit of rice sticking to his cheek. It was almost as if he hadn't even heard what his older sister just asked. No, that couldn't be it. He definitely heard her. The whole table heard her, but according to Sergei, Ivanna never changes. Maybe the same could be said for all of the Nikiforovs. Could it actually be possible that Victor was so used to his family's over-the-top behaviour that he really and truly could not see a problem with the situation? How many nights of Victor's upbringing were spent gleefully watching this bizarreness and having to accept it as normal? He seemed strangely comfortable as he sat there, trying to convince his family to try the baths while he poured more tea into his parents' cups. "It's great! You'll all love it!"

"Moy dorogoy Vitya," said Victor's mother, reaching to get the grain of rice with her napkin. "Let me get that for you..."

"Ah, it's fine, mama," Victor replied, taking the rice between his fingers before his doting mother could get to it. (Please make no blunder, noble reader, when you read this; you have in fact just witnessed a 68 year-old woman trying to clean her son's face for him and said son is nearly 30 years-old himself. No, you are not mistaken. Do not adjust your eyeballs. You read correctly.)

"Oh, Yuuri," said Ivanna in a sympathetic tone while Anastasia, in a hushed tone, urged Victor to eat more because he of course needed his strength. Clearly, she was about to try to remedy whatever negative feelings she'd interpreted Yuuri's shyness as being. "Please don't be ashamed! If nothing's happened yet between you and Vitya, it's alright. In fact it's totally fine! You have nothing to worry about. I can make sure your first time with Vitya is something you'll cherish forever."

"Eh, how so...?" asked Oksana cautiously.

Ivanna winked at Yuuri with that familiar heart-shaped smile. She really seemed to think she was being very helpful right now. "I'll tell him _everything_ he needs to know about anal sex! He'll sweep you right off your feet!"

Poor Mr. Katsuki started choking on his tea again and Mrs. Katsuki was right at his side. Sergei burst out in another fit of earth-shaking laughter. Victor was still smiling while Alexei was relatively unphazed and contemplated the yet unpoured sake. Eclipse's beady dark eyes glanced around the table in amusement while Mari wondered how one could kill themselves with a pair of chopsticks. Vladimir was still sleeping somehow and Anastasia watched the sizes of Victor's bites, wondering briefly if it would be appropriate to cut up one's adult son's food for him so he would not choke. Yuuri just stared in silence, too far gone to even blush. _Is this real life?_

"Thank you for the offer, Ivanna," Victor said, still looking quite chipper. "But that won't be necessary."

His older sister continued. "I would say personally that anal is still not as good as vaginal sex in my experience, but I'm sure you'll both enjoy it!"

"Oh Heavenly Father!" Yulia suddenly chanted loudly after having been so quiet and threw up her arms, one hand holding a decorated rosary in a desperate attempt to save them from Satan's grasp. "Please forgive my sister for she knows not how she blasphemes by speaking of the penetration of the anus at the dinner table!"

"Alright, alright everyone!" called Oksana, trying to bring an ounce of normalcy back to the group. "Why don't we quiet down now and let the Catskeys talk for a bit, hm?"

"A _capital_ idea, Oksana. After all, 'the less said, the better' – Jane Austen," quoth Alexei under his breath and he glanced pointedly at Ivanna, who flashed a dark look back at him.

"Alexei, why can't you just speak like a mammal?" the model-looking woman asked impatiently. Oksana groaned. So much for letting the Katsukis speak. At least Toshiya wasn't coughing anymore, but he decided not to have any more tea.

"I only wish I could get through _one_ family dinner in my lifetime without having to play 'Guess What Was in My Sister's Vagina'," her brother muttered back. Another flash went off. Did Eclipse take _another_ picture?! Before Ivanna could snipe back, Vladimir had begun snoring from across the table.

"Hey, hey, Vitya!" called Sergei excitedly. "Did I tell you the story of the time I wrestled the mountain lion?"

"Wow, Sergei, really?" Victor asked with boyish starry-eyed excitement. Sergei's already huge chest seemed to puff out further at the idea of impressing his precious baby brother.

Alexei scoffed. "Sergei, you have told _everyone_ that story." Then, he turned to Victor and said more tenderly, "You do not have to humour him, Vitya."

"But I haven't told the _Catskeys_ yet!" At this point, the ginormous titan of a man looked like an enthralled little child, swaying around in his seat like he just couldn't contain himself. Yulia was whispering to herself something across the table and making four-pointed gestures on her head and chest. Anastasia looked just as eager as Victor. Vladimir was still miraculously asleep.

"They do not want to hear about you and the damn mountain lion," sniped Ivanna, crossing her arms.

" _I'd_ like to hear about the mountain lion!" announced Mari loudly, thankful for _any_ escape from the hell she was currently in.

"Ah, yes! The mountain lion!" Hiroko finally joined in. "T-tell us about the mountain lion."

"I'd _love_ to hear about the lion," said Toshiya. He'd had enough talk of his son and anal sex for a lifetime.

Sergei ignored Ivanna and Alexei's groans and gently took his wife's large hands in his even bigger meatier ones, giving her an affectionate look. Vladimir stirred slightly in his sleep and muttered something in Russian about shooting the puck. "Well, it was on our honeymoon~! See, we had decided to go on a romantic camping trip – just the two of us."

Hiroko awwed quietly at the couple's obvious fondness for each other and seemed to relax a little into her seat. Victor, Anastasia and the Katsukis already looked quite engaged in this story, even though the first two had already heard it many times. Yuuri couldn't remember ever being relieved without having been near an ice rink. Finally, something might go normally this evening.

"It was a beautiful morning. The sky was bright and colourful, the air was crisp, and I was about to spend the next month away with my very best friend. We had planned a five hour hike to the camping spot on the plateau of Mount Koloss which would have overlooked the beautiful Bol'shoy Forest. It was a perfect place for us to watch the aurora borealis at night. We left our hotel at 5'o'clock in the morning. The mountain was steep and the winter winds were blistering, but they were no match for us!" Sergei accentuated this point with a mammoth closed fist.

Yuuri's brown eyes widened with astonishment. "You went camping in the _winter_?"

"Of course!" the giant chuckled lightly, but his version of 'lightly' still shook everything a little.

"The forest is so much more beautiful underneath a blanket of snow," Oksana added.

"But not as beautiful as you, kotonok," said Sergei to his now blushing wife. The Katsuki family seemed noticeably less tense than before.

Shyly and giggling a little, Oksana waved her hulk Prince Charming off. "Sergei~! Tell them the story!"

"Yes, continue, Sergei!" cheered Victor eagerly, his frosted hair falling around his face in a way that Yuuri thought somehow made him really look the part of kid brother. It was really very adorable.

The large-than-life man let out another one of his big chuckles. "I will, I will~! So, as I was saying, we arrived at the plateau and set up camp. Oh, it was magnificent. We watched the wildlife and the sunset and the aurora as I mentioned... But one night, we were peacefully sleeping until we heard a strange noise..."

"Bózhe moy..." Ivanna sighed quietly. Another flash went off near the seat of a grinning Eclipse.

Sergei leaned into his audience, the table seeming to bend a little too much underneath his weight, and as he continued, his motions became more animated to illustrate his tale. Clearly, he was getting to the good part. "There we were, the two of us alone in the wilderness after midnight, but something else was with us. We could see its shadow stalking around out campsite from within our shelter. We knew there would be danger, but no one is ever fully prepared when it happens. My blood was pumping with adrenaline. That's when I realized... if anything happened to my kotonok on my watch, I would _never_ forgive myself! I knew I had to face whatever monster waited out there for us.

Slowly, I opened the door and looked around the camp. It was pitch black outside, the blackest night I'd ever seen, but I could just barely see the outline of some large creature crouching patiently... I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to do, so I acted purely on instinct."

"What did you do?" asked Mari.

The large man crouched closer to the yielding table, imitating his movements from that day. "I copied the beast. I figured that nature must have built him to be an expert hunter, so why don't I use his own moves against him? The night was cold and dark and completely silent. I stared and him and he stared at me back at me with hungry, murderous eyes. Suddenly, the beast became enraged and he charged at me!"

With that last part, Sergei rose from the table, shaking the furniture with the force of his thunderous movement. He then began violently acting out the story, his titanic footsteps causing a rumble throughout the room. Suddenly the Katsukis were much less comfortable watching their things rattle around in response to this hulking Russian man fighting an invisible mountain lion. But Victor, Anastasia and Oksana did not seem the least bit perturbed.

"And I grappled him to the ground! But the snow was slippery so I lost my footing and he escaped my grip. He charged again and I faked left to punch him in the side of his neck!"

Sergei's booming voice was now so loud, Yuuri worried that the neighbours might file a noise complaint. Victor truly looked every bit the excited baby brother that Sergei hoped he would be. Mr. and Mrs. Katsuki were shrinking into their seats, slightly terrified, and Mari had a look on her face like she'd lost all hope in humanity. Eclipse was snapping pictures secretly like she had been all evening, Yulia was silently sipping on her forgotten tea, Ivanna and Alexei both looked bored out of their minds as this was the millionth time they were hearing this story, Oksana – who Yuuri had originally coined to be the most reasonable of the bunch – stared at her husband with schoolgirl love in her eyes, Anastasia clapped merrily for her son, and Vladimir just kept on sleeping. Yuuri slumped slightly in his chair through which he could feel the group rumble under him with each of the large storyteller's movements. This could not be real. When Sergei finally stopped, he stood triumphantly before his audience, crossing his massive arms in front of his barrel-shaped chest.

"And _that_ is the story of how I fought the mountain lion to save my true love!"

There was cheering and applause then from both Anastasia and Victor, but the loudest praise came from the love-struck Oksana. Eclipse looked especially pleased from where she sat beside her exasperated husband. The Katsukis just stared in a quiet frightened awe.

"Very well done, big brother!" exclaimed Victor.

"Bravo!" raved a blushing Oksana with a standing ovation.

"Ah, Sergei~!" Anastasia squealed. "My big strong boy!"

"Ka-kakiye! Kakiye!" finally, Vladimir was awake with a start. "Wha-where is the puck?!"

The still somewhat asleep old man grabbed his cane and held it as if he were a goalie protecting his net from the opposing team. Victor stood with his hands in front of him in an attempt to calm to old man and Anastasia's thin hands touched her husband's shoulders gently.

"Papa, papa!" said Victor in a calming voice his father. There was another flash from Eclipse's direction. The confused old man glanced around him and realized that he was not in fact playing hockey against the American team some time decades ago. He grumbled something in Russian and set his sights on his nearly abandoned dinner.

"H-hey, why don't we all take a dip in the springs?" asked Toshiya anxiously. After this family dinner, he certainly deserved it.

* * *

**Translations**

* * *

  * Anastasia: "Moy dorogoy Vitya" – My darling Vitya
  * Sergei: "Kotonok" – kitten
  * Ivanna: "Bózhe moy..." – Oh my God...
  * Vladimir: "Ka-kakiye! Kakiye!" – Wh-what! What!




	3. Night of the Obnoxious Aliens

 When I first wrote this chapter, YOI had ended and Tumblr wasn't even working for like a full one or two hours afterwards. LOL I believe that the YOI fandom managed to break another website too... Good times. xD

 _Themadmansdaughter4421_ \- Thanks! :) Yeah, Ivanna just loves having fun. I envision her as the type of older sister who would have probably brought Victor to his first gay club... LMAO

 _Musicfest20_ \- No problem! Thanks for the comment. Hope you enjoy this installment!

 _Tempered_ \- Thanks for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed it~

**WARNING: This chapter gets a little limey near the end! It's not a full on lemon, but there's a _little_ something...**

* * *

_Night of The Obnoxious Aliens_

* * *

Victor stretched his arms above his head and let out a full yawn. He and Yuuri were in Yuuri's bedroom just about to hit the hay. The Nikiforovs were in each of the five rooms at the inn; the first going to Anastasia and Vladimir, the second to Sergei and Oksana, the third to Alexei and Eclipse, and Ivanna and Yulia were lucky enough to sleep by themselves. Yuuri was absolutely exhausted. Needless to say, the baths weren't much different from the dinner. The Nikiforovs were completely fascinated by the idea of a public bathhouse – well, Yulia wasn't as excited so she opted to bathe by herself and retire early to her room.

The bath on the men's side was chaotic of course. Sergei tried to tell his mountain lion story again as he'd honestly forgotten that he'd already told it. Yuuri hadn't thought Alexei _too_ strange until he proved him wrong by bragging about his travels though Europe and inserting some obscure quote wherever he could to make himself sound more intellectual. So this was what Ivanna meant when she was saying her brother never spoke "like a mammal".

Yuuri got to see a little more of Vladimir's personality as well and honestly, he found himself very much intimidated by the old butterball. He was all wrinkly like a lot of the older men who frequented the bathhouse with a large potbelly on his front and short stubby little legs, but he was sturdy even considering the fact that he had to walk with a cane and it was very apparent why he was the goalie for the Olympic hockey team in his youth. To top it off, Vladimir had a stare about him – it was something like a resting angry-old-man face that made him look like he was always thoroughly annoyed with something. Clearly, Victor took more after his elfish mother than he did his dwarflike father. Most of Vladimir's speech came out in gravelly mumbles that were difficult enough to understand without his thick Slavic accent. Victor, however, seemed not to be put off by any of this in the slightest while Yuuri and his father just tried to grin and bear their discomfort.

Apparently, things were not much better on the women's side. Mari had quite a lot to tell her brother about _that_ experience. Ivanna was almost disturbingly comfortable in the slightly nudity environment. She kept on offering Mari advice on her sexual relationships which Mari had done nothing wrong to deserve. Anastasia was a bit better behaved, but it became apparent after Hiroko speaking with her for a while that she was a little bit of an airhead. Another odd thing which the Katsuki women noticed about her was that every step she took, every time she stood up or sat down, literally every movement she made looked as if she were dancing ballet. It might have only been an odd thing to notice if she were clothed, but the fact that she was naked made things a little more awkward. Even Oksana, who by far was the most normal of the bunch, had strangely opted to wear her swimming goggles in the spring and do laps. Mari and Hiroko honestly didn't even notice that Eclipse was there until she just seemed to appear like a dark cloud behind them, still silent as ever but still wearing that constantly amused expression.

After the bath, Yuuri's older sister had pulled him aside, explaining that he needed to help her put away the dishes before he go to bed. It was of course just an excuse to talk to him alone. Once they arrived at the kitchen, Mari closed the door behind her and immediately began speaking in Japanese.

"Yuuri," she said, her back against the door. "We need to talk."

The young figure skater leaned back against the kitchen counter. He could guess what this was about.

"Look, Yuuri... You know that I love Victor. He's great but... His family..." she looked around then and said the next part in a hushed voice as if the Nikiforovs might understand her Japanese. " _They're all freaks!_ "

"Sssh, Mari!" Yuuri whispered harshly with a look of concern. Apparently, the two had forgotten that the other family only spoke Russian and English. "They might hear you!"

"I'm sorry, but God!" the young woman threw her hands up in the air so they could land on her head to rake her fingers through her hair. "What the hell was that?! I mean given Victor's personality, I thought that _maybe_ his family would be _a little_ odd. No one told me the goddamn Russian circus was coming over!"

Yuuri directed his gaze as the hardwood floor. He wanted so badly for this to go well because he loved Victor and while he wasn't quite sure after knowing him for nearly two years where their relationship would end up, if all went well, it would be important that both families were amicable toward each other. As it stood, it was only the first day and the Katsukis were outright afraid of the Nikiforovs.

"And Yuuri!" Mari said with grave realization. "We have to spend _a week_ with those people. What are we gonna do?!"

The young figure skater had no answer for his older sister even as he laid in bed staring at the ceiling as his boyfriend sat at the edge pulling his tshirt off over his head. Even now, Victor didn't seem at all worried or otherwise disturbed by the night's events. Instead, he looked rather chipper. As far as Victor was concerned, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happened that night. Things were very normal. Even now, he was getting into bed with his boyfriend at the same time he always did... Completely normal, right? But Yuuri felt differently. He laid there still feeling the aftershocks of that evening and if he listened carefully, he swore he could hear the sound of Latin chanting coming from wherever Yulia was stalking about the inn.

"Well, what did you think?" Victor asked over his naked shoulder.

Yuuri thought quickly. He knew he could be honest with Victor, but he didn't want to ruin his happy mood either. "Uhh... Your family sure is something."

"Haha, I know," the other man responded and swung his legs underneath the covers. Makkachin jumped in with them and walked around in little circles before settling at the foot of their bed. "My family's always been a bit of a handful, but they're a lot of fun!"

So he had some idea that the Nikiforov's personalities weren't for everyone. That was a good place to start.

"It'll take some getting used to for my parents and sister, I think," Yuuri replied, turning on his side to look at his bedmate. Victor slipped underneath the blanket and was looking Yuuri right in the eye. "You know, they're not as... gregarious as your family."

Victor nodded and fell into silent thought for a minute. That whole night, he was so happy to finally see his folks again that he didn't even really think about how the Katsukis were responding to their new guests. Come to think of it, even some of Victor's own behaviours seemed to surprise them at first, but he was always considered one of the quieter Nikiforov family members if you can believe it, and the Katsukis took his quirkiness with good humour. If his comparatively mild personality took some adjusting to, then... Finally, Victor digested the possibility that maybe, just _maybe_ , the things his own family found to be normal might be quite bizarre to his boyfriend's family.

"Now that you mention it... I wonder... Do you think my family overdid it a little?"

 _A little?_ Yuuri could have given Victor an award for Understatement of the Decade, but he unfortunately didn't have the power to distribute such accolades. Although he eventually became better at being more sensitive, Victor could deliver brutal honesty if he felt he needed to. Maybe it was time for Yuuri to do the same.

"Vicchan, I'm gonna be honest..." he said the next part with a completely straight face. "My family's afraid of your family."

Victor's blue eyes widened at this revelation and he sat right up straight in bed. "What?!"

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Both men turned slightly to see who might be their nighttime visitor.

"Come in," called Yuuri, sitting up beside Victor.

The door opened slowly and the hulking Sergei leaned in, half of his massive body still outside of the room.

"Hello Yuuri! Vitya, would you like some hot cocoa before you go to sleep?"

Victor smiled and waved his hand in front of his face. "No, no, Sergei, but thank you."

"Alright then," the giant whispered, but even then his voice still carried to the other side of the house. "Good night, Vitya!"

The door closed and Sergei was gone. When Yuuri was sure he couldn't hear Sergei's thunderous footsteps anymore, he continued.

"Yeah," the Japanese man sighed. "So, back to what I was saying... It's just well... The conversation at dinner was a little inappropriate and invasive..." his face turned red at the memory. "I don't think my parents or sister really wanted the image of us... uh... _having anal sex_... in their heads..."

Victor tilted his head to the side at this, acknowledging that that had probably made things awkward. Yuuri continued to list the mishaps of the evening when he saw his boyfriend was beginning to understand. "I suppose-"

Just then, there was yet another knock at the door. Victor answered this time. "Come in!"

The door opened again and in crept Ivanna in an expensive and very revealing nightgown that made bisexual Yuuri blush a little. If he looked too hard, it would have been quite easy to see every contour of her body. Yuuri turned away quickly, really not wanting to even deal with the idea of Victor's sister being that attractive, but it was clear that she had gotten her eros from the same place his Russian boyfriend did. Yuuri had turned so quickly that he didn't even see the tender look Ivanna was giving her youngest brother.

"Vitya, I came to say good night!" she murmured as she crossed the room and pulled Victor into a tight hug, his head ending up in the crook of her neck.

Victor wrapped his arms around her torso in return. He didn't seem at all disturbed by what she was wearing. In fact, it had no affect on him at all. "Good night, sis!"

"Would you like me to sing you to sleep, Vitya?" Ivanna asked, pulling back slightly to brush Victor's bangs out of his face.

"That's alright, Ivanna. Thank you."

She giggled a little and then gave him another bear hug before heading back out the door. "And goodnight to you too, Yuuri!" With that, she was gone. Yuuri let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding and turned back to Victor, who had already turned his gaze back over to him.

"You were saying, Yuuri?"

Yuuri straightened his back then, pulling himself together. "Well... I was just saying that I think my family was a little intimidated by your folks... Sergei nearly broke our house in half with his story..."

"Ehh... True..."

Knock knock knock. Yuuri sighed. _Again?_

This time, it was Alexei. "I have come to bid my favourite little brother sweet dreams," he said and walked up the the bed to embrace said brother.

Victor laughed softly. "Alexei, I'm you're _only_ little brother!"

With a kiss on Victor's forehead, the Russian man with the hair like white feathers continued. "That you are~. 'Good night, sweet prince. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest' – William Shakespeare."

Yuuri's brows furrowed. Didn't that quote refer to death...? Was Alexei just not aware of that fact or...?

It wasn't long before Alexei too was finally gone. Yuuri waited a minute before opening his mouth the speak, but the door was already open again. Now he was frustrated. _You can **not** be serious!_

Yulia dressed in all black crossed the threshold and affectionately placed one hand on Victor's forehead, gently brushing his hair back. Her greenish eyes regarded him in a way that was so full of love – it would have been cute had it not been the fourth time in the past ten minutes that Yuuri had seen it. There was something a little different about this instance, however. There was an odd yet familiar smell when she came into the room and Yuuri couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Blessed Vitya, I pray that our Lord will protect you throughout this night," she whispered and pulled some sort of container from a pocket on her bed clothes. Yuuri and Victor watched curiously as she opened it and dipped her index and middle fingers inside. She then rubbed the substance onto a perplexed Victor's forehead and Yuuri suddenly realized what it was.

"S-sesame oil?" he asked before he could stop himself.

"Unfortunately, I could not locate the olive oil in your kitchen," Yulia explained. "But it is alright. I have prayed over this sesame oil, so it should do just fine."

She then began murmuring prayers in Latin, her fingers still touching her younger brother's face. When she finally said, "Amen", Yulia took a small gold cross necklace out from her pocket and placed it around Victor's neck. "Now, Satan cannot touch you."

At this point, Yuuri could tell that even Victor thought this behaviour was a little bit strange, but he smiled appreciatively anyway. "Thank you, Yulia. Good night!"

"Yes, good night!" she said as she was leaving. "And good night to you too, Yuuri!"

The Japanese man was almost too stunned to respond. "Y-yeah... good night..." he croaked out weakly. The room was dead silent when she left. What even _was_ this!? This could not be normal. He might have just chalked it up to Victor being the youngest if not for the fact that he was also the youngest in his family and he could think of no explanation for the parade of older siblings that had just come through his bedroom. Yuuri looked at Victor's face to see his reaction. Victor had the gold cross in his hand and he was just staring at it with a look of wonder in his eyes.

"Uh, Vicchan?" Finally tearing the older man from his thoughts, Yuuri continued carefully. "I don't really know how to say this, so I'll just be direct... I'm not sure if you noticed, but... Well, I mean, your family... They all kinda treat you like a baby..."

After all that had happened in the past few minutes. Victor had the nerve to be genuinely surprised. "What? No..."

"Victor, look at what just happened!"

"Yes, my siblings just came to say good night... Is that really so bad?"

"Okay, well what about earlier? Your mother tried to wipe your face for you at dinner."

Victor's shoulders raised a little as he was searching his head for excuses. "W-well.. I mean she was only being nice..."

Yuuri continued. "Then she kept watching you eat like you'd choke if she couldn't cut your food for you."

"Mama's always been a bit of a worrier..."

"Before we went to bed, your father asked if you wanted a bedtime story.."

The Russian man sat in sheepish silence. There was nothing he could possibly say to combat that. "O-okay, that was a little weird..."

"Look," Yuuri said, taking one of Victor's hands in his with a reassuring squeeze. "Your family is very different from mine, but they _do_ seem like nice people. And..." suddenly, the younger man's face turned a little pink. "Well, Vicchan... I like you... a lot... like, _a lot_... And I can see that they love you so... I just want for everyone to get along. Because they and I have a least one thing in common and, uh..."

As Yuuri spoke and buried himself deeper and deeper into this slightly embarrassing rabbit hole, his nervousness making him unable to stop talking while the smile on Victor's face kept growing and growing. Was Yuuri finally going to say it? Was he finally going to admit that he was _in love_ with Victor? Although the platinum blond had already told his boyfriend that he loved him, Yuuri was having a hard time getting the words out. Oddly enough, Yuuri could proclaim that he called his feelings toward Victor love in a press conference, dedicate the theme of his career at the time to love including that which he felt for Victor, and he could spend so much time showing that love publicly, but in private, when it was just the two of them looking each other dead in the eyes, when the air around them was light with affection or heavy with arousal, the actual words "I love you" still stuck to the back of Yuuri's throat. By that point in their relationship, their feelings were so clear, but for some reason, he had a hard time with such a confirmation. He could say "I feel love for Victor". He could say "Victor is the one who has my love". He could say anything that essentially meant "I love you" and he meant it when he said it, but he still couldn't say the actual thing. Victor knew Yuuri's feelings for him already, and he was patient enough to wait for Yuuri to summon the courage to say those three little words which seemed so big to them both, but he definitely wasn't going to let the younger man off the hook. He could see it and he could feel it, but he wanted to _hear_ it, whether it was now or later when Yuuri was comfortable, but it _had_ to happen... And maybe, somewhere in his rambling, tonight would be the night.

"Well..." Yuuri's heart fluttered in his chest. He couldn't understand why this was so difficult. "W-well..." Victor nodded slowly, his eyes full of happy anticipation and never straying from Yuuri's brown eyes. The younger man took a deep breath. _Just say it! You already know it's true, so why can't you say it?!_ "Well, I... I..."

"Yes?" said Victor softly, his gaze still intense.

A cloud of air built up underneath Yuuri's epiglottis as if his body was trying to force the words out, but nothing except the "I" was able to escape his lips. He sighed and turned his gaze away, shamefully. "I'm sorry."

Victor was a little disappointed, but he didn't want to pressure the younger man before he was ready, so he pulled his smaller body into a hug and rested his cheek against his forehead.

"I'm _really_ sorry," Yuuri whispered again.

"It's alright. I know you'll tell me when you're ready."

Yuuri closed his eyes and allowed himself to melt into Victor's comforting embrace. It was always nice being pressed against his bare rippling chest, but more than that, Yuuri was calmed by the little things – the particular warmth of Victor's body that Yuuri mused might have been a natural adaptation to the cold environment where he grew up, the smell of him that reminded Yuuri of cedar and spearmint thanks in part the Russian's favourite brand of soap but also due to his own natural scent, the feel of his bare skin against the Japanese man's face and hands which was smooth but contrasted with the soft prickling of the sparse virtually invisible white hairs which peppered his chest. This was definitely Yuuri's favourite place to be. Slowly, his previous nervousness began to subside and his mind focused on everything he was experiencing at that moment. The world melted away leaving only the two of them enveloped in each other. The things Yuuri could and couldn't say melted away. The wildness of the Nikiforovs and the relative meekness of the Katsukis melted away. There was only the two of them and the fact that Yuuri could show Victor what wouldn't escape his lips.

Yuuri lifted his head to look Victor in his half-lidded blue eyes, his own honey brown eyes nearly overtaken by his dilated pupils. As shy as Yuuri could be sometimes, it was not uncommon for him to randomly get these bursts of bravery which caused him to do things like pull Victor by the tie if he didn't feel he was giving him enough attention or demand for Victor to never take his eyes off him during a performance or incrementally push the limits of the kinds of sexy things he could do with his mouth at the beginning of his Eros routine. During those times, Victor was always eager to take whatever Yuuri felt confident enough to give him and it didn't seem to matter to him at the end of the day whether he ended up pulling Yuuri by the back of his head into a surprise kiss or bending over himself to kiss his boyfriend's skates – terms like dominant and submissive meant nothing to them. To each of them, there was only "you and me, in the moment". So when Yuuri ran his fingers through Victor's starlight tresses to pull him into a kiss, he was met with no attempt to overtake him and seize control of the situation. Victor's motto when it came to sex was "go with the flow and be flexible". Sometimes he would initiate things himself, and sometimes Yuuri would, but it was all fine either way. That's the way things always were with them.

Things were starting to get a little hotter as Yuuri's kisses grew more bold and Victor's only encouraged him. As soon as some tongue was introduced, Makkachin took the hint and decided he'd rather be on the floor tonight where it wasn't as soft and comfortable, yes, but at least things wouldn't be moving or making loud noises. He knew from experience that his best option was to peace out. Yuuri meanwhile, still high with courage and ecstasy, grasped and pulled the white hair in his hand to force Victor's head back, exposing his long neck. The action was met with a surprised little moan from the slightly larger man and his breathing quickened when he felt Yuuri's warm wet mouth trailing along his skin. Victor reciprocated these affections by letting his hands search the younger man's body for the hem of his shirt which he suddenly and feverishly decided needed to come off when he could feel Yuuri nibbling and sucking his earlobe. Victor, his entire face and both his ears turning bright pink almost immediately, grinned broadly at the appearance of Yuuri's mischievous side. He _knew_ how sensitive his ears were!

"W-wow, this is... This is so sudden!" Victor said to the best of his ability. It was hard for him to sound coherent when his ears were being played with like that. "I g-guess... Even after washing up... Ohhh... Before bed... You're still feeling dirty...!"

Yuuri's affections paused for a moment as the pun assaulted his brain like an ice pick. "... Vicchan?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up," Yuuri laughed and straddled his boyfriend so he could attack his blushing earlobe again in retaliation for such a horrible joke. Victor was laughing before but his laughter was silenced when he let out a strangled gasp at the sudden movement. But he quickly recovered. Now it was his turn to attack. Yuuri moaned against the side of Victor's face when he could feel the other man's right hand caress him through his sweatpants while the left grabbed his firm little tush. The Russian man turned his head then to kiss Yuuri's lips and initiate another make-out session. One of Yuuri's hands was still stroking Victor's hair while the other traveled agonizingly slowly down his chest to stop at the waistband of his pants. The two were kissing and dry humping and making stifled noises as not to alert their family members (whose bedrooms were probably too far to notice anything suspicious anyway). If Makkachin could have groaned and rolled his eyes or covered his ears, he would have, but he couldn't, so he tried to sleep while the couple kept on pleasuring each other through their clothes and whispering sexy little things into the hot air between them, totally oblivious to the new set of knocks at the door until it swung wide open. There was a fraction of a second during that time when some sort of high quality camera could have probably captured the exact moment when Yuuri and Victor's souls exited their bodies, screamed at the Heavens in horror of the idea of being caught in such a position by their own family members, only to sink back down into the shameful, feverish carcasses from whence they came. Yuuri, still straddling Victor's heated erection, bent closer to his boyfriend in order to hide his own, totally forgetting the duvet that was luckily covering them both. With wide, terror-stricken eyes, they held their breaths involuntarily and watched Anastasia and Vladimir standing there in the doorway.

"M-mama?!" Victor sputtered, the sexy masculine presence he once had seeming to run away with its tail between its legs.

"My cute little Vitya~!" the white haired former-prima ballerina nearly sang, spinning on point for some reason to accessorize her statement. "Your mama and papa have come to say good night to you~!"

"Papa has come to tuck you in,"said Vladimir in his same coarse, tuneless voice. The two of them looked totally undisturbed by the scene before them. That was when Yuuri realized that the older couple, either by the sheer exhaustion of jetlag or extraordinary obliviousness, did not notice his and their son's obvious passionate courtship.

"A-ah..." Victor said in a small voice that Yuuri had never heard before. "I see... N-no thank you."

"What about warm milk, yes?" offered Anastasia, practically dancing in a little circle with maternal glee which was unfitting considering her son's age. "Maybe for you, Yuuri?"

"N-n-no thanks..." Yuuri squeaked, his voice breaking part way through 'thanks' and his face glowing with embarrassment.

"Oh, well alright then!" she reached for the door handle then and slowly began to pull it closed. "We will see you both in morning!"

"Have good dreams," added Vladimir, his permanently contemptuous expression in odd contrast with the positivity of his words.

And then, the door was closed and the parade of meddling relatives was finally – most likely – over. Victor and Yuuri remained where they were, staring at the closed door in stunned silence. Both of them had become quite flaccid by now as their passion was replaced with sheer humiliation. It was then that Victor realized just how different his life at his parent's home in Moscow was compared to his life with Yuuri in Hasetsu. Back then, he had found his family's wildness, intrusiveness, and over-affection for him endearing – he even missed it when he'd finally moved out and started living in Saint Petersburg – but that was because he was used to it. Life in Hasetsu was quiet and the Katsukis were much more placid in comparison. Suddenly, the idea of Yuuri's family being afraid of the Nikiforovs didn't seem as unbelievable as it did to Victor before.

"I... I will talk to them tomorrow," Victor finally muttered. Yuuri only nodded in response, not even needing to be told who 'them' was, but his eyes never left the door. He was still in disbelief about what had just taken place.

If Makkachin could point and laugh, he would have.


	4. The Complicated Love Life of Chudo Malchik

 Alrighty, chapter 4! :D Hope y'all enjoy! Please remember to leave me your feedback~

Also, one more thing... I was wondering if you guys have any opinions on the Nikiforovs so far? Which is your favourite? Which one do you want to know more about? Which one's done the funniest/most outrageous thing in your opinion? Let me know! :)

* * *

_The Complicated Love Life of Chudo Malchik_

* * *

Yuuri woke up that morning alone in bed. Even Makkachin was gone. He had had some trouble sleeping last night when both he and Victor were awakened by the sound of heavy footsteps up and down the hallway. It turned out that Oksana was a sleepwalker, and Sergei had brought her back to bed fairly quickly, his soft laugh at her adorableness audible to everyone in the house, but she'd still managed to disturb Yuuri's sleep enough to keep him in bed an extra hour. He was usually awake before Victor was, but his slumber was also usually not interrupted... Well, except for the times when Victor would toss and turn and end up stealing most of the blanket... We won't get into that.

Slowly rising from the bed, Yuuri put his tshirt back on (the one Victor had nearly torn off of him last night before his parent's came in and ruined the mood) and padded his way down the corridor, the sound of pop music growing louder with each step. Was someone listening to the radio?

The springs were closed for the day as Mr. and Mrs. Katsuki had tried to free up their schedule as much as they could to accommodate their guests. It really should have been quieter than usual as Yuuri rounded the corner into the kitchen beside the inn's dining room, but instead he heard loud talking in Russian and laughing echoing down the hall. From this distance, he could make out a reggae beat and lyrics in a language he didn't understand. It definitely wasn't English or Japanese, but he was pretty sure it wasn't Russian either.

_Oh my nae mami wae iri seolleneunji molla_

_Ireumdo moreuneun geudae apeseo nan_

_O cheonguk gateun neoui nunbiche jeongmal_

_Alright alright alright alright!_

"Hi, everyone," said Yuuri when he entered the kitchen. His parents and sister were cooking enough breakfast for both families; an authentic Japanese meal of natto with chives, white rice, and fried eggs with a side of miso soup with small chunks of tofu. "Need any help back here?"

"Morning, Yuuri!" his father called joyfully over the sizzle of the stove.

"Hello Yuuri! Hey, you should go out into the dining room," instructed his mother as she passed him a tray of coffee stuffs. She had neatly arranged a European style tea set with a small pitcher of milk, a bowl of sugar cubes, and a saucer of a few of the macarons the family had been gifted. "I know yesterday was a little... strange... But you should try to make a good impression with Victor's parents."

"Good idea, Hiroko," said Toshiya, cracking another egg over the frying pan. "Yuuri, you're more needed out there than you are back here."

Yuuri took the tray and looked at his parents with a weird expression. To anyone who didn't know him, it would have looked pretty normal, but there were hints of nervousness and concern behind it. He knew his mother was right, but after everything that had happened, the kitchen felt like a much safer place to be. "Eh, are you sure?"

"Yes, we're fine! You go out and charm them," Hiroko reassured him, turning quickly to tend to the soup. "Don't worry. You're a nice boy, Yuuri, and I'm sure they'll see that too."

The young man sighed a little and tried to straighten his back as he turned around toward the entrance. "Well... alright then. Here I go."

Mari looked up from the green onions she was cutting to watch over her shoulder as her little brother left the room. "Good luck..." she said with something like pity in her voice for the fact that he had to face the Nikiforovs alone. He was a lamb in the lion's den as far as she was concerned.

So, the young man left the kitchen, trying to come up with things he could talk about at the table. He had no idea what kinds of topics these alien people would find interesting or charming, but for Victor's sake, he would try and try his damndest to impress them. Finally reaching the dining area, Yuuri could see that everyone was finding their own amusement as they waited for breakfast. Sergei, Eclipse and Oksana were all seated in a semi circle of chairs they had taken from the table behind them. The three were watching Ivanna and Victor engaged in what appeared to be a small dance competition, Oksana happily clapping to the beat and Sergei letting out a jolly laugh (well, roar) at some particularly scandalous moves. Eclipse was snapping photos of the siblings who were dancing to what Yuuri finally deduced was k-pop. Victor's parents sat with the twins, Yulia and Alexei, at the large table, but Yuuri could barely even see them with the way Victor was so fluidly gyrating his hips. He and Ivanna were laughing and appeared to be having the time of their lives seeing who could make 2NE1's _Falling in Love_ nastier with their dance moves. Of course, they mixed a few sillier dance moves in much to the amusement of their small audience just because that was their sense of humour. Turning on his toes, Victor finally noticed Yuuri standing (and staring) near the door, tray of refreshments in hand.

"Good morning, Yuuri!" called Victor in a sing-songy voice between bouts of laughter. Suddenly, a flash of flirty mischievousness showed on his face much like the one Yuuri had sworn threatened to impregnate him a while back. Now, he had _really_ caught Yuuri's attention. No one seemed to notice as Victor turned his back on the young man purposefully and began moving in a way that made his already beautiful behind look absolutely divine. Naughty turquoise eyes shot an over-the-shoulder glance at Yuuri, who gave him a look that was somewhere between disbelief at his bold actions given his that his parents were only feet away and genuine amusement, but it seemed that said parents were paying very little attention to the impromptu dance battle if any at all. No wonder he was being so audacious. Coupled with the fact that Victor's flirty behaviour was typically proportionate with the amount of fun he was having, his actions were really no surprise. The only one who had seen the little interaction between the two was Alexei, who seemed unamused by his baby brother's lack of reserve and shot a brief glare at Yuuri (which went unnoticed by its intended target) before returning to reading his book on Leo Tolstoy, grumbling something like, " _'Modesty is the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it,' – Oliver Herford..._ ". His words were hidden underneath the sounds of a woman rapping in Korean followed by the chorus of the song.

_Tonight I drop it low_

_Gibuneun jjaritae_

_Simjangeun teojyeo blow_

_Neon nae Johnny Depp_

_Ipsuri mallawa nae ppyeossok kkeutkkaji jeoryeowa_

_Nunbusin neol chyeodabol su eobseo boy I'm so blind_

_Jinheulg sok jinju nan neoui sinbu_

_Neol nae geollo mandeulgesseo that's what a queen do_

_Yeah in the club it's getting ugly I don't care_

_Can't nobody stop the fire let them haters sit and stare_

_I keep falling in love, falling in love_

_Neoman bomyeon nae maeumi oh oh oh oh_

_Falling in love falling in love_

_Neol gatgosipeo na eotteokhae boy_

"Hey, hey!" Ivanna said and pried Victor's attention off of his little boyfriend. "Rule number one of a dance battle: Never take your eyes off the competition, Vitya!" And then she executed a rather impressive and sexy dance move, her own eyes daring her brother to try to top that. Oksana and Sergei playfully 'ooooh'ed at the display, the latter doing his own excited little dance in his seat.

"You're gonna take that, Vitya?" asked Oksana. Eclipse, who was snapping photos of Ivanna beside her, turned to the other sibling to watch his response.

Victor laughed with a competitive look on his face. "Of course not! I'm one of the top figure skaters in the world. It's my _business_ to be sexy, big sister. I can't possibly lose to you," he stated arrogantly before comically breaking out into a weird little Ice JJ Fish _On the Floor_ -esque dance which was honestly very unfitting for his inherent attractiveness, thus earning a fresh round of mirth from the other four adults. Victor himself couldn't take it and nearly fell over while clutching his stomach, laughing out loud.

Yuuri always knew Victor was a very strong dancer. He had almost forgotten all of the years when he would stalk Victor's social media, watching all of the silly videos and looking at all of the selfies he posted online. Even as a teenager, without too many adults around to forbid him from doing anything, Victor used to post all types of videos that would always make preteenage Yuuri feel very flustered and confused. If not for the fact that he was a figure skating prodigy who literally no one at the time could even touch, some of the things he used to post would have scandalized him beyond the point of any sort of return, but it was Victor Nikiforov, so miraculously, the world sort of just let him do whatever he wanted. Of course, Yakov always had something to say about what Victor posted, but even back then, the teen was too rebellious to listen to his coach's lecturing. This sort of wild behaviour didn't really stop as he got older either. In fact, as his muscles grew and his shoulders became broader and he started to reach adulthood, poor Yakov complained that his student had only become saucier. The one thing Victor always loved doing was leaving people in shock and awe whether that meant absolutely killing the competition to get the gold medal or posting a ten second video of himself grinding against a metal pole, slightly drunk and dressed only _very_ short black athletic shorts and matching suspenders, at his 21st birthday party while his friends egged him on... To this day, the video was still burned into Yuuri's memory. That was before Victor cut his hair. He knew because he could remember him swinging it around as he rode the pole and... Yuuri shook his head quickly to knock the image out of his head and decided that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to watch Victor dance right now if it was going unearth _those_ memories.

Remembering the tray in his hands, Yuuri walked further into the room and placed the refreshments in the middle of the table before taking a seat himself. Anastasia flashed a charming smile when she saw him approach. Vladimir drifted between sleep and wakefulness beside her, snoring softly every time he closed his eyes. Yulia glanced at the coffee, clearly interested, and Alexei, while craving the black beverage, pretended not to notice Yuuri's arrival.

"Good morning, Yuuri!" Anastasia chirped cheerfully. She looked so bright that Yuuri could have believed her if she'd said that little woodland creatures braided her starlight coloured hair that morning while she sang at her own reflection.

"Ah, good morning, Mrs. Nikiforov! Would you like some coffee?"

Yuuri's greeting was met with a small giggle. "Oh, sweetheart. You do not need call me Mrs. Nikiforov!You may call me 'mama' like Vitya~"

The young Japanese man's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he reached for the dark liquid. "Really?"

"Yes, of course! I see you like Vitya a lot, yes?"

"Y-yeah," Yuuri's face turned a little red. Given Ivanna's openness when it came to sexuality, he hoped that Anastasia wasn't referring to the almost-lovemaking she'd witnessed last night. He was sure by her and Vladimir's reactions that she didn't know that that was what she had walked in on, but with all the strange things that had happened, he wasn't entirely sure. It was possible that like her daughter, she just lacked the kind of shyness about it that his parents had. He had poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her gently.

"And you make Vitya happy, so I like you too," she smiled before graciously accepting the black beverage and taking sip without adding any milk or sugar or even waiting for the hot liquid to cool. "Vkusno!"

Hearing his boyfriend's mother approve of him being quite familiar already put a smile on Yuuri's face. It almost seemed laughable now that he was panicking about whether or not she would like him or his home the day she arrived when it seemed she'd been nothing but pleased with everything thus far. It was harder to tell with Vladimir, but as Yuuri saw Anastasia turn her gaze toward the little dance competition with so much maternal love in her eyes, he started to feel a bit more at ease around her. Sure, she was still battier than a cave full of the flying rodents and her little physical test the other day creeped him out thoroughly, but he decided that at least Anastasia was genuinely a nice lady.

"Yuuri," she said in a soft voice that still managed to pull Yuuri from his thoughts. "About yesterday, I just want to say I am so sorry for touching you!"

"Ah, no, it's alright!" Yuuri said quickly, suddenly feeling a little guilty for making a big deal out of what happened to begin with. He had no reason to feel bad, really, but this was Yuuri and Yuuri often thought less of himself than he should have.

"No, no, no, it was terrible rude for me to do," Anastasia insisted gently. "I hope you can forgive me."

Yuuri laughed a little. "Everything's fine," he said. He'd wanted to try calling her mama, but he chickened out at the last minute. She seemed satisfied anyway.

"Yuuri, I'd like to show you something..." she said, offering a new topic of conversation.

He saw her reach into her pocket and pull out a small worn piece of paper – some old photograph, he realized. She handed to him what appeared to be a family photo from many years ago. Yuuri had a look of awe painted on his face as he regarded the at least twenty year old picture. There upon the paper sat the entire Nikiforov family but they were all a lot younger.

A more youthful Anastasia sat with a slimmer, less bald Vladimir standing beside her (and he was actually smiling for once!). Surrounding them stood two young teens, a young man and an older teenage girl – the twins, Ivanna, and Sergei respectively. They all looked very different from their current selves. This was the first time Yuuri was seeing Yulia's soft grey hair which had been covered every time he'd seen her now. Alexei still had a certain smugness about him, but his obvious happiness added a little charm to him that Yuuri didn't normally see. Sergei looked huge just as he did now but even he was a tad smaller. Then there was Ivanna, who had permed curly hair like a white cloud floating atop her head and shoulders. Judging by that alone, this picture must have been from around the late 80s to the early 90s. But what caught Yuuri's attention most was the little munchkin sitting in the younger Anastasia's lap. Dressed in formal blue and beige children's clothing was a tiny Victor. The young man couldn't help but laugh at how little his boyfriend had changed since he was just a baby. He looked almost exactly the same, but shorter and full of baby fat. He had the same bright blue eyes and a fluffy little tuft of greyish white on top of his little head. Actually, there was one very small difference. Yuuri noted that the tuft seemed to have an almost yellow blond tint to it which Victor seemed to have grown out of as he got older. Other than that, he was nearly exactly the same. Baby Victor seemed to be midway through a laugh and his little lips made the same heart shape Yuuri fell in love with the instant he first saw it.

"Oh my god, this is absolutely adorable!" laughed Yuuri, still regarding the toddler in the photo tenderly.

"Vitya is only two year old when we take photo," Anastasia explained, returning to her mug. "It took so long for him to stop crying. We thought, 'maybe he is hungry', but I feed him before shoot already. Then we thought, 'maybe he need new diaper', but no, he is clean. No, he want his Laika."

"Laika?"

"Little doggie toy. Sergei told Vitya about Laika, little dog who went to space, so he name his toy Laika too. Vitya always love dogs ever since."

Yuuri's eyes wandered over to Makkachin, who was sitting patiently beside Oksana, his tail wagging with excitement. Victor and Ivanna had apparently forgotten their little competition when they started having too much fun just dancing together and the group was laughing about some joke Ivanna had just told (Eclipse didn't laugh, but she looked very amused). "So _that's_ why..."

"Yes!" laughed Anastasia. "Anyway, we forget Laika at home, so photographer had to make all sorts of silly faces to get Vitya to laugh. Luckily, moy malysh always love funny faces!"

The Japanese man looked again at the photo, taking note of how old everyone was. He knew Victor was the youngest in his family, but was he really only two years old here? That meant that Alexei and Yulia, who both shared the title of second youngest, had to be _at least_ a whole ten years older than him.

"Wow. I had no idea Victor was so much younger than his other siblings."

"Oh, yes! Vitya was always our baby!" explained the proud mother. "Yulia and Alexei are fourteen years old here, then Ivanna is eighteen, and Sergei is twenty-one. They all love him so much and took good care for him. We are all so used to him being our baby, we can not help but want to coddle him. Even now, I know he has grown, but it is so hard to let go..."

The older woman almost looked a little sad now as she gazed into the black ripples of her coffee. Now Yuuri knew that to some extent, she was aware of her strange treatment of her son. That, he thought, was a good sign. He wondered briefly whether or not Victor had had 'the talk' with his family just yet and that perhaps it had prompted this entire conversation. Yuuri didn't expect her to go on, but she did, and she seemed to be having some trouble with whatever she was trying to say.

"Because..." Anastasia just stared into the darkness of her coffee even though she'd had no trouble looking Yuuri in the eye just a second ago. "Well, because..."

Suddenly, a large stumpy hand covered hers and squeezed it gently. Both Anastasia and Yuuri looked up to see Vladimir, no longer dozing off, offering comfort to his clearly struggling wife. They didn't even know he had been awake, but now, his normally stern look seemed to have melted somewhat and revealed a certain tenderness Yuuri didn't even know was possible.

"We almost lose Vitya," he explained quietly. Anastasia fell silent, either unable or unwilling to relive the horrible memory. Yuuri's own smile had already faded a while ago and he was offering the parents his undivided attention. "Anushka had... difficult pregnancy with Vitya. Every time we see doctor, he say something worse. We try to hide it from Vitya's siblings, but eventually, no one know if we still get live baby or... or dead one. So, we have to tell them. They were devastated that they might not have little one. They have so much questions, and we have no answers. We cannot even tell them if it is brother or sister. We were so worried about if baby would survive, we have no idea about sex of baby. We could not even think of name. Then came the day Anushka went in labour and we still don't know if baby is alright. So we wait for hours, and then, it is Christmas Day and God give us miracle."

The old man was smiling slightly now, something Yuuri had never seen and he was surprised enough to see Vladimir's thin lips curl in such a way that suggested that the heart-shaped smile had originally belonged to him. "Vitya was born and he was strong and healthy baby. Everyone thought he at least would be very sick, but he defy all expectations. He was child blessed by God to always overcome. Our little chudo malchik. That is why we name him Victor. Victor Vladimirovich Nikiforov. Because he win against all odds."

The smile which had previously faded began to reappear on Yuuri's face and he could see that Anastasia was looking far less gloomy as well. In fact, she was beginning to look a lot like her usual chipper self again. "Wow... Thank you so much for sharing that with me."

Anastasia's smile widened. "But of course! Why _wouldn't_ we share with you?"

"Uhh... Well," Yuuri fidgeted in his chair a little bit. "It just seems like kind of a personal story, I guess."

"Not at all!" the older woman waved a thin, graceful hand in front of her face. "Of course we share with you!"

"Like I said on first day, Vitya does not normally talk about his lovers to us," said Vladimir, his short thick fingers absently piling sugar cubes into his coffee. "We never meet them. He always like that. Always running around with man and woman and other people, and never tell us about it. But Vitya always talk about you, Yuuri. That is why I said you must be special one. If Vitya feel that strong about you, it is almost like you are family already."

He took a sip of the beverage which was surely more milk and sugar than actual coffee – a stark contrast to his wife's preference. Yuuri sat in silence trying to digest Vladimir's words. _You must be special one_. Victor and Yuuri had discussed their respective sexual histories in the past and it was clear that the Russian man by far had the more extensive past in that regard. Yuuri could only really count three times when he'd been in a romantic or sexual situation – his adoration of Victor which spanned years of his life, his childhood crush on Yuuko which also spanned years but wasn't nearly as strong, and once when he had experimentally kissed the pushy girl from Detroit. That last one was the closest he'd ever come to having a relationship with anyone, but the young woman's demanding personality caused Yuuri to shy away from her affections until he just wanted for her to cease them immediately. Other than that, he was quite sure that Minami may have had a little crush on him for a while, but it was nothing serious nor were the feelings returned (although Yuuri was flattered).

Victor, as mentioned before, had a much longer story to tell. He'd been in romantic or sexual situations with all kinds of people. Some were men. Some were women. Some were both or neither. Victor was never one to take gender into account when it came to his attraction. His only rule was that he found the person attractive to begin with and the logistics would work themselves out. Not all of these experiences were full fledged relationships either. Some of them were instead little flings that only lasted one night or actual friends who he could call on when he needed a fix or nebulous situations with uncertainty and complicated feelings involved. He had indeed gone steady with a few people before however. Victor once even attempted a polyamorous relationship with a man and a woman who were already a couple, but he found it difficult to balance the needs of two people rather than just one. There were some insecurity issues that all three needed to work out but because they were all athletes with busy schedules, none had the time. And, yes, even Victor, possibly the world's most sought after bachelor at the time, experienced unrequited feelings a few times. When Yuuri thought back to this conversation, he realized it was really a wonder that Victor had never brought any of those people home to meet his folks. Could it be that he really wasn't in love with _any_ of them? He must have liked them a lot, of course, but was this relationship – this one he had with Yuuri – really his first time being in love with someone?

Yuuri nearly gasped at the realization. Victor had never been in love before... _until now_.

The young man didn't even notice when his family entered the dining room and rounded everyone up around the table. He was staring into his coffee cup at the swirling dark liquid, the sweetest but also the most shocking thoughts floating about in his head like doves into the sky. _I'm Victor's first love. It's_ _ **me**_ _. Victor's never loved anyone except me! Not only does Victor love me, but I'm his_ _ **first**_ _love!_

His head was so full of this exciting, pleasurable haze that Yuuri almost didn't notice Victor lay a quick peck on his cheek to snap him out of it before sitting down beside him. "Hey!" the Russian man said, winking at his lover as he pulled in his chair. Makkachin circled around his owner and rested his head in the man's lap once he had settled, getting into his normal position to beg for table scraps.

Yuuri responded with an almost dreamy smile, his cheeks slightly flushed and his brown eyes glimmering from behind his glasses. "Hey."

Victor grinned wider and he was a little suspicious as his hand absently pet the brown dog beside him. "So, what were you and my parents talking about?"

"Nothing," the dark haired man replied, picking up his chopsticks and still looking like a high schooler who just got noticed by their upperclassman. "I'll tell you after breakfast."

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**Translations**

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\- Anastasia: "moy malysh" – my baby boy

\- Vladimir: "chudo malchik" – miracle boy

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And thus, the title of this chapter means, "The Complicated Love Life of Miracle Boy". lol The song in this chapter, as mentioned, is _Falling in Love_ by 2NE1. Just months after I finally started listening to them, they broke up. :( That song is still really catchy though...


	5. The Legend of #HurricaneYuuri

Hey everyone! I'm back with chapter 5! Hope y'all enjoy. ^^ And Happy Yurio's Birthday!! lol

Ikki – Glad you enjoyed! :)

Musicfest20 – Uggghhhh I'm so sad that they broke up... Anyway, thanks~

vivi1138 - ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Themadmansdaughter4421 – Thank you for the feedback! Yeah, before I wrote this, it really only made sense that Victor must come from the most extra family possible. lmaoooo

 

Please enjoy this next chapter~ 

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_The Legend of #HurricaneYuuri_

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Everyone remembers the day that the storm hit.

Well, everyone except for _one_ pivotal person, but that's another story.

Everyone _else_ remembers it as clear as if it had all happened yesterday, but each seems to have a slightly different account of the details.

If you'd have asked Mila Babicheva, she would have told you this: "Everything was normal and kind of boring at first, but then there was this big group of people. I went to see what was up and there was this drunk guy – Yuuri Katsuki, I believe? – and he was yelling and singing off-key and just _killing it_ on the dance floor! I got it on video if you wanna see, hehe~ If I remember correctly, he didn't do so well in the competition, so I think I heard his coach was giving up on him... Poor guy... Apparently, he got drunk and decided to disrupt the gala as a big 'fuck you' to everything that was happening in his life. I think I heard him saying something about joining the circus..."

Another account by Yuri Plisetsky may have sounded like this: "That fucking drunkard was making an ass of himself at the gala. I don't know why and I don't give a fuck. All I know is that he was trying to get everyone's attention and it was getting on my nerves so **YES** , I **DID** try to out-dance him to put him in his place. What was I supposed to do?! Just let him get away with it? With Victor watching? That _loser_ who was crying in the bathroom? Fuck that! ... _Sigh_. Whatever. I heard he's quitting and going into accounting or marketing or fucking dentistry or some shit I don't care about. Good riddance... _Yesli ya uvizhu yego snova, ya postavlyu petardu yemu v zadnitsu_..."

Asking Christophe Giacometti would have yielded this explanation: "Well, I certainly didn't expect a shy little kitten like him to be hiding such a fierce sexy tiger on the inside. I even got to show him a few of my own moves~... Did you see when he was pouring champagne all over me? I think that that Plisetsky kid got a picture. I'll have to get him to send it to me. Definitely the best gala I've ever been to. It's really a shame that the guy apparently decided to quit skating, but I wish him all the best with his new burlesque career. I hear he comes from a long line of burlesque dancers... Well, that's what _I think_ I overheard, anyway. I'm sure he'll be great. I might even come and take a look next time I'm in Japan~"

But surely, the most interesting account of all would be that of Victor Nikiforov because that night ended up meaning much more to him than just a funny story to entertain friends and family with later. He would never have admitted it at the time but there were a few things going on in his life then which culminated into the perfect storm that night.

First of all, Victor was engaged. Yes, you heard correctly. At the time, he had been in a three year long relationship with a then thirty-nine year old respected lawyer, Ilya Sokolov. Despite their age difference, Ilya and Victor were considered by many to be a perfect match for each other. They were both handsome and talented and highly sought after in their own rights. They'd first gotten together when Victor was only twenty-four years old (and Ilya was thirty-six) after Alexei had arranged a date for them. They hit it off immediately; Victor wooed by Ilya's gentlemanly charm and Ilya admiring Victor's dedication toward his career. It was Victor's longest relationship thus far, but not all was paradise.

The second thing you need to know is that Victor never really wanted to marry Ilya. Ilya, for everything that was good about him, was still just far too old for his young fiance. The two of them were at totally different stages in their lives and there were subtle yet noticeable differences in their relative maturity. Victor was young and hadn't been able to experiment as much socially as any normal person who hadn't dedicated their life to figure skating from childhood. He needed to be free to live and experience things and find out what he truly wanted. Ilya on the other hand had already done all of that. He was already established and no longer needed such freedom. Ilya wanted to settle down, start a family, and grow old with someone. That was all well and good for him except that he never took the time to try to understand Victor's situation. Instead, Ilya found Victor's needs to be silly and immature and he wasn't about to wait for his young boyfriend to sort them out – not when he was so sure he knew what was best for him anyway. So, without any prior discussion, Ilya bought an impressive rosegold ring, took Victor out to an expensive restaurant, and popped the question.

The last thing you need to remember is that Victor had never felt romantic love before. Nowadays, he knows without a doubt that his first and only love is Yuuri Katsuki, but back then, he wasn't so certain. Sure, Victor would return Ilya's "I love you"'s just before they went to sleep at night, but they always sounded so hollow and weak to him and he couldn't understand why. Back then, Victor knew he liked Ilya the most out of all of his previous partners. He knew that with a career like his and Ilya's work-oriented personality, this was the one relationship of his that was the most likely to work in the long-run. Honestly, Ilya was everything someone should ever want: he was charming and a gentleman who always treated Victor delicately, opening the car door for him and other such chivalry. He was so very sexy with his dark hair, shortly cropped beard and sideburns, and his extensive collection of costly tailored suits. He had a good job as a lawyer which afforded him all of the finer things in life. He was all that someone could ever hope for... But Victor wasn't "someone" and because the feeling was entirely foreign to him, none of that could help him figure out whether or not he was really _in love_ with Ilya or if he just liked him a lot. This was the closest Victor had ever gotten to the kind of love he was looking for, and he also knew it was beginning to grow very lonely at the top, and so he ignored the fact that he'd felt pressured by Ilya's advances and said yes to the proposal. Never mind the fact that his "I love you"'s sounded fake or the fact that in all those three years, he hadn't made the time to introduce his fiance to his parents in person instead of by Skype. Maybe, Victor thought, he was just anxious over nothing. He should be happy that he's getting married to someone like Ilya...

When the night in Sochi began, Victor was twisting the engraved rosegold wedding band this way and that way around his finger. Through the press conference earlier, the ring had felt cold and tight even though Victor was sure it was definitely the correct size. It was truly a gorgeous ring, but it seemed so much like a decorated leash. Fed up with the expensive trinket, Victor took it off and placed it on the bathroom counter of the hotel so that he could take a shower. Why was it that something which was supposed make him feel happy just felt suffocating?

Victor met Mila, Yakov, and Yuri downstairs in the lobby about an hour later dressed quite smartly in his navy blue suit. He put on a smiling face for them as they piled into their ride, but on the way to the venue, Victor's imagination began to wander. Sort of a strange thought, but Ilya had always reminded the platinum blond of a perfect blue sky, unmarred by cloud or bird or the like, just a perfectly uniform blue that spread as far as the eye could see. It was something that most people would think was ideal, and so did Victor at first, but just after the middle of their relationship, he'd begun to notice how boring it was to stare at such an immaculate surface without even a bright golden sun to add something to the infinite blue. It was comforting before, but now, Victor felt almost overcome by this strange agoraphobic sensation as if the untouched blue would close in and swallow him whole just as it must have to the misshapen cumulonimbus clouds which Victor had realized he was much more partial to. He'd put his feelings to the back of his mind so that he could perform at his best, but now, without the adrenaline of his sport to distract him, the anxiety and distinct feeling of being trapped was weighing down on his heart.

"Vitya, what's wrong?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin. Victor had been so deep in his thoughts that he didn't even notice they were already standing in the banquet venue. The legendary Russian skater looked to his right and saw his rinkmate, Mila, staring up at him with concern written on her face. Yuri stood just beside them all dressed up in his little blue suit, not paying too much attention to his upperclassmen beside him.

Victor blinked and his features readjusted themselves to display contentment. He couldn't let anyone see what he was really feeling. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry for spacing out."

The strawberry blonde wasn't entirely convinced, but she decided not to push the subject. Instead, she changed the topic entirely. "So, I guess this makes your fifth gold medal, hm?"

"Yeah," Victor chuckled and took a sip of champagne.

Suddenly, the young woman beside him gasped. "Vitya, your ring!"

Victor blinked again and took a look at the ring finger of his right hand, the one which gracefully held the champagne flute he'd been drinking from. To his surprise, Ilya's ring was missing. "Oh, shit," Victor cursed. "I took it off to take a shower. It must be in the hotel room."

"We might still have time," said Mila, a little distressed for his sake. There would be cameras at this event and if they caught the Grand Prix Final winner without his wedding ring on, it could spell trouble for him once he got home. "I'll get Yakov to call the driver so you can go get it."

"No, it's fine."

The little redhead's eyes widened. Actually, even Victor was a little surprised to hear those words coming out of his own mouth. His doubts aside, Victor figured he should still at least want to _look_ like he was totally happy with his engagement, but for some reason, he just couldn't do it. He would probably pay for the decision later, but in the moment, the Russian skater just could not find it in him to care about the consequences. Perhaps his rebellious side was standing in protest of a decision he had always kind of felt had been thrust upon him.

"... Are you sure?" Mila asked with some concern in her voice.

Victor nodded his silver head in response. "Yes. Don't worry."

Mila was quiet after that. She had always suspected that Victor wasn't entirely happy about his engagement, but she had hoped for his sake that she was wrong. Turning to look around at the people about them, Mila silently and sadly acknowledged that the proof was now laid out right in front of her. Beside them, Yuri's sea green eyes shifted in their direction, but only briefly. He had heard the exchange, but decided to act as if he hadn't. He figured it wasn't really any of his business anyway.

Victor's blue oppressive skies were clear as always but suddenly, there was a tiny speck just in the corner of his vision. He blinked when he saw it, thinking it must have just been a piece of dust that had drifted into his eye, but when he looked closely, it was still there: a tiny little cumulonimbus like a grey stain against the vast blue. The sight of it seemed to lift a weight off of Victor's chest which he hadn't realized he was carrying and almost simultaneously, he noticed some sort of noise just behind him.

Well, that's inaccurate. There was no noise exactly. Rather, it was the lack thereof which caught Victor's attention.

Everyone had turned in the direction of the live band which had suddenly stopped playing their smooth jazz rendition of some very old, very dry song. Victor's platinum eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he bent slightly to see around the crowd of people which had suddenly accumulated in front of him. From a few rows in front and to his left, he could hear Michele Crispino talking with slight frustration in his voice while his twin sister giggled merrily. Behind Victor and to his left, he hadn't noticed Christophe Giacometti curiously navigating the crowd to find the origin of the disturbance.

"What the hell's going on?" Victor heard Yuri ask from his place.

There was some sort of commotion on the low stage, but to Victor, it looked like something else entirely. The wind around him seemed to pick up speed and blow his frostbitten bangs out of his face. The single little cloud from before had grown exponentially in size until it all but blotted out the blue infinity with its grey. There was a loud rumble in the previously silent heavens followed by brief flashes of electricity. The space around him was filling with the oxygenated air his lungs had been so desperately lacking for a very long time.

After more silence, everyone could hear someone slurring into the microphone: "Just like... Cantcha guys play somthin' I can dance to? Ya know what I mean?".

Chuckling, the lead singer responded, and by the tone of his voice, you could tell without even seeing him that a wide grin had spread across his face. "Say no more, fam."

The crowd in front of Victor bustled with wonder and bewilderment. Security guards attempted to penetrate the group to get to the centre of the growing storm, but to no avail. Suddenly, Victor was filled with the insatiable urge to know exactly what everyone was reacting to. Without even thinking, he ducked into a small opening in the crowd of people and gently pushed his way through.

"Vitya!" called Yakov from behind him, but eventually, he was out of earshot and all Victor could hear was the whirling winds around him and pieces of the building being violently torn from their hinges.

When Victor had finally reached the centre, he could see it. The eye of the grey storm. There was an untouched circle inside of the swirling turbulence where the source of the storm lie and Victor stared into the void to see a human shape within.

As the guitarists and drummer began playing, a very intoxicated Yuuri Katsuki grinned with drunken elation while holding a (stolen) half full bottle of champagne in one hand. "Oh my God!" he slurred so loudly that everyone in the venue must have heard him over the ska that played in the background. "That's my jam! That's my mo'fuckin' _JAM RIGHT THERE_!"

_Just a castaway._

_An island lost at sea, oh._

_Another lonely day._

_With no one here but me, oh._

_More loneliness_

_Than any man could bear._

_Rescue me before I fall into despair._

_I'll send an SOS to the world._

_I'll send an SOS to the world._

_I hope that someone gets my,_

_I hope that someone gets my,_

_I hope that someone gets my,_

_Message in a bottle._

_Message in a bottle._

Victor stood in an entertained shock at the bouncing figure skater who was using the alcohol bottle as a microphone for his off-tune karaoke. The torrent seemed to bend to his will as he began turning and jumping and writhing to the music. Victor almost didn't recognize him, but after only a minute, he remembered that he had actually seen Yuuri earlier that night. After coming in dead last during the competition, the Japanese man seemed very quiet and stoic – almost as if his coach had dragged him to the banquet kicking and screaming. Clearly he didn't want to be there. Clearly he wanted to rot away with embarrassment in the safety of his own hotel room, but _this_ right here was an entirely different Yuuri. That Yuuri was broken and defeated and had lost any command over nature that he once possessed. This Yuuri made thunder clap when he stomped his feet. This Yuuri brought the torrential rain when he leaped off the ground. This Yuuri stirred up pregnant storm clouds with every pivot. This Yuuri was a human hurricane and Victor was about to be swept up in his gales. Without warning, all thoughts of Ilya and the engagement and the ring and the blue sky were gone from Victor's mind and in his imagination, he could feel himself spreading his arms wide on either side, accepting his fate, being lifted by the storm to never return again. A smile on his face, he was the first to start cheering Yuuri on.

_A year has passed since I wrote my note._

_But I should have known this right from the start._

_Only hope can keep me together._

_Love can mend your life,_

_But love can break your heart._

_I'll send an SOS to the world._

_I'll send an SOS to the world._

_I hope that someone gets my,_

_I hope that someone gets my,_

_I hope that someone gets my,_

_Message in a bottle._

_Message in a bottle._

_Oh, message in a bottle._

_Message in a bottle._

"Come on!" shouted Yuuri. He had stopped singing out of tune to address the crowd, which had gone from shocked and slightly horrified to quite merry and absolutely amused. Smart phones were out now to capture the moment digitally as people laughed and cheered. Just as a hurricane changes a settlement for years to come, Yuuri Katsuki, all by himself, had changed to mood of the banquet. Victor looked around. Not only were people more joyous watching him, but Victor could see them clapping along to the music. Stuffy old coaches Victor knew to be more serious individuals bobbed slightly left and right with the beat. Younger newbie skaters did less to hide their dancing as they giggled and bounced with each other, but still none could match Yuuri's fluid movements and oneness with the rhythm. Representatives of the sports news media were in their glee, reporters yammering excitedly at high end cameras in their respective languages. The gala staff, meanwhile, scrambled to take control of the situation, frantically calling managers and supervisors and other authority for instructions on how to proceed. But none of that was going to stop the drunken Japanese skater. Man cannot halt a hurricane. "What the hell kinda party is dis anyway?! Somebody dance with meh! WOOOOO!"

"Hey, you drunkard!" Yuri Plisetsky had appeared beside Victor, who had begun to scramble for his phone. "Quit being so goddamn loud! Where the _fuck_ is security?!"

"Oh my God!" said Mila, who was suddenly on Victor's other side. Just like many other people, she was recording the entire thing with her cellphone camera. "This is _amazing_!"

"Yuri Pizezky!" Yuuri slurred and marched happily toward the angry teenager with his arms spread wide. Yuri P. staggered backward but he wasn't fast enough to avoid Yuuri K. slinging an arm over his shoulders as if the two of them were best chums. The blond teen recoiled at the thick smell of alcohol on the Japanese man's breath. "You'll come dance wit' meh, right? You're a cool dude, riiiiight?"

"Get your hands off me!" Yuri yelled and pushed the other figure skater away from him. From only feet away, Chris Giacometti watched with high interest as Yuuri totally brushed off the aggressive act with an unshakable glee. Michele tried to hold Sara back as she was determined to get a closer look at Hurricane Yuuri.

_Walked out this morning,_

_Don't believe what I saw:_

_A hundred billion bottles_

_Washed up on the shore._

_Seems I'm not alone at being alone._

_A hundred billion castaways,_

_Looking for a home._

_I'll send an SOS to the world._

_I'll send an SOS to the world._

_I hope that someone gets my,_

_I hope that someone gets my,_

_I hope that someone gets my,_

_Message in a bottle._

_Message in a bottle._

_Message in a bottle._

_Message in a bottle._

_Sending out an SOS..._

"Yuuri, what are you doing?" Victor half-giggled. He had his own camera out now as he approached the younger man. Victor was smiling widely and it felt like it had been the first time in a long time that he was so genuinely happy.

"Trying to get this damn drunk out of my face," explained Yuri, believing Victor was talking to him, but the Russian man waved his hand in gentle dismissal.

"Not you, _him_."

Turning quickly to face him, Yuuri gasped and looked like he was on the verge of tears, not even noticing the death stare he was receiving from the cat-like teenager. " _VICTOR NIKIFOROV_! KING VICTOR! THE ONE AND ONLY!"

Without warning, Yuuri had run up to Victor and took him in his arms, squeezing him as tightly as his body would allow. The platinum blond nearly fell over when Yuuri's smaller form first impacted with his while the younger Yuri's jaw dropped in horror. Beside him, Mila stared at the scene with a surprised expression and absently took a picture of the embrace. By this time, Chris and the twins had gotten close enough to hear the ensuing conversation.

"Oh my _God_!" the Japanese man nearly squealed and, the Russian skater still in his grasp, jumped up and down with excitement. The strong scent of alcohol wafted off of him and Victor realized just how drunk he truly was. "Victor, I've loved ya since childhood! I've got such a huuuuuge crush on you. Oh my God!" Yuuri gushed and looked up at the taller man with boyish awe shining in his brown eyes. "It's b'cause of ya that I'm even a figure skater! You're soooooo amazing~!"

"W-wow!" Victor stuttered slightly. He was still a little caught off guard by the embrace. "Thank you Yuuri!"

"Y'welcome~!" the younger man sang, still staring at Victor's face. He paused for a little while, just gazing at the other man and smiling wide. It really should have been very uncomfortable, but for some reason, Victor didn't feel awkward about it at all. Instead, he found himself being drawn into Yuuri's warm brown stare. Yuuri's smile slowly disappeared. Something was different, as if he had been struck with some sort of realization. No longer did he regard Victor with starstruck enthusiasm. He was still starry-eyed, but for an entirely different reason now. Victor realized with some shock that his heart had begun pounding in his chest as Yuuri brought one hand up to brush his grey bangs out of his face. "Wow..." Yuuri nearly whispered with the same kind of awe as a person who had just seen the concave portraits of the Sistine Chapel for the very first time. In the same tone of voice, his speech did not slur as he spoke on. "You are... so very beautiful up close..."

Speech had entirely escaped Victor as he could feel his heart pounding faster. What on Earth was happening to him? Was he sick? Why did his face feel so hot? How did he forget everyone else in the room besides Yuuri at that moment? Why couldn't he stop noticing how much Yuuri's deep brown stare reminded him of dark amber, swirling tea, raw earth, smokey quartz? Why did he feel the urge to run his fingers through Yuuri's soft dark tresses? Why did he want to feel the the softness of Yuuri's pink lips against his? Why couldn't he take his mind off of how thick the younger man's eyelashes were like a feathery canopy over the warmth of his gaze or the smooth contours of the Japanese man's face? Now, it seemed that the entire banquet was gone and it was only the two of them, standing together in each other's arms, within the centre of the twisting storm.

But why? Why was this moment so different than when he'd first met Ilya; when they stood outside the restaurant where the older man would eventually propose; when he stared at Victor with an impressed look and said, "Your brother showed me your photograph, but I didn't think you would be this beautiful"?

 _Beautiful_. What about that word was suddenly so different?

"KATSUKI!" shouted Yuri as he pulled the two of them apart, muttering some empty threat about sicking the hose on them if they didn't stop, and with that, the moment was gone, but Victor's heart still fluttered. He shook his head vigorously, still unsure of what exactly just happened, but he had been violently returned to reality and it was only then that he realized that teenage Yuri's face had turned a furious shade of red.

The rest of that night was a very strange but very wonderful blur to Victor. He tried to forget that little moment he'd had with the drunk skater and instead focused on getting pictures of the dance battle Yuri P. and Yuuri K. had started for some reason, but then he eventually started dancing with Yuuri himself and it was as if they had picked up where they left off.

 _Is this what it feels like?_ A smiling, gleeful Victor asked himself as Yuuri dipped him carefully, his heart still leaping in his chest. _Is this what love feels like...?_

Later, Victor would find that this feeling was only the beginning. It was not yet true love for Yuuri and Victor did not quite know each other back then, but it was here that love was planted to grow with time and care. And even in its infancy, it was enough for Victor to realize he couldn't possibly marry Ilya Sokolov.

That very night, Victor broke up with his fiance. The storm had passed, but it left beautiful chaos in its wake.

* * *

Alexei sat blinking and voiceless as he stared at his youngest brother through the webcam. The father of three was so full of different emotions that he couldn't even decide for himself what he was feeling. There was a whole lot of shock and a little bit of rage, but then he was also very confused and a little sad, and even a tiny drop of happiness had made it somewhere into the convoluted mess. Alexei's younger brother, _his own_ beloved baby brother, darling little Vitya, had just spent the past hour of the siblings' joint Skype conversation swooning over some Japanese figure skater who Alexei had heard via social media crashed the Grand Prix banquet. Pictures had been shared everywhere of this drunk little runt prancing about in various levels of undress beside the newly trending tag, "#HurricaneYuuri". Apparently, a skater by the name of Sara Crispino had described her colleague as being like a hurricane that turned the entire event upside-down and the name just stuck. And with the kinds of pictures and videos that were floating around, it was no wonder the nickname seemed to fit so well. Truth be told, the past few weeks had been like a hurricane for Alexei too. First, his brother texts the family out of the blue the night of the gala to announce that he'd called off his engagement to a man Alexei believed was the greatest on Earth, then photos of Victor and his naked wedding finger dancing with that embarrassing little tramp surface online almost immediately after, and now, little Vitya was acting like a head-over-heels schoolboy as he told the story of that night and flipped through pictures of his apparent new beau at the same time.

The siblings were all surprised at first, but over time, their reactions became more and more different from each other. While Alexei himself remained sceptical of the prospects of this possible romance, he found Sergei and Ivanna's apparent happiness with these revelations to be incredibly infuriating. Instead of trying to talk some sense into their baby brother as older siblings should, they giggled and teased when he gushed about the strumpet who had essentially tempted him into ruining his own engagement.

"Vitya, you are so cute!" Sergei gushed while a blushing Victor sat in his padded desk chair with his knees up in front of him, doe-eyed and rewatching the video he'd convinced Yuri Plisetsky to send him of his waltz with Yuuri for the tenth time on his cellphone. "You look just like a little lovesick puppy right now. I've never seen you like this before. I still can't believe you told Mama and Papa about this."

That was probably the worst thing about this situation for Alexei. The day after the gala, Victor did something he'd never done before: he called his parents and told them all about the wonderful time he had had with this Yuuri Katsuki character. It took Victor 3 months to even admit that he was dating Ilya and there were many previous partners that the family hadn't even been made aware of. Victor never brought his love life home unless it was serious, so it was clear that he'd never felt that strongly about anyone before... Until now. That fact made anxiety bubble up in Alexei's chest. How could his little Vitya – top athlete in his sport, charming, handsome, charismatic, and literally the hero of Russia – become so smitten by a mediocre skater who drinks too much and pole dances with other men at formal events? Victor deserved the best. He deserved Ilya, but he wanted... _that_ , whatever it was. The entire thing was ludicrous!

Clearly not as concerned, Ivanna giggled as she finished painting her fingernails. "Vitya's got a crush~" she said in a sing-songy voice.

"You know, he asked me to be his coach next season," said Victor blissfully. "Maybe I'll get to see him again..!"

Alexei nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wait a minute. Vitya, you're not competing anymore?!"

"Well, I don't know," Victor admitted, finally putting his phone down to focus on the Skype conversation. "I've been feeling a little bored lately. I think I might need a change."

"'A little bored'?! _Vitya_! You're the top male skater in the world right now! Please tell me you're not going to throw your dreams away over a silly little crush." It was bad enough that Victor might be throwing himself at a young man who was leagues away from being a suitable match for him, but now he was going to jeopardize everything he'd worked so hard to achieve over this?

"Hush, Alexei," said Ivanna, a little annoyed. "Vitya isn't throwing his dreams away. He just wants to try something new. Come on, let him have this. You know he hasn't focused on anything but figure skating since he was a little baby. He should live a little while he's still young! Besides, Vitya, if you feel this strongly about this boy, I think it's at least worth a shot. If you weren't happy with things before, then maybe you need to take a chance now."

 _Love advice from the woman who's been married and divorced three and a half times..._ the twin brother thought as he sighed and fell back into his chair. "Look, Vitya, I just want to make sure you aren't making any rash decisions. Everything is happening so fast. I only want you to really think about what you're doing before you do it. I mean... You threw away a three year relationship after one night with a man who was drunk, you tell me that you might not compete next season and you might try to coach this Yuuri guy who you don't even know mind you... Do you even have his contact information?"

Victor inhaled and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Eh, no... He left too fast to give it to me. All I know is that his family owns a hot spring in Japan..."

Exasperated, Alexei sighed and buried his face in his hands. Victor couldn't even get in touch with Yuuri Katsuki if he wanted to. What the hell was he thinking? "This is ridiculous."

"Ah, Alexei. It's not so bad. I think it might be good for Vitya to pursue something that made him this happy. And you know, Vitya will do what he wants anyway," Sergei chuckled, his entire desk shaking as he did. He addressed Victor directly with a wide smile. "You've always been that way you know, malen'kiy brat!"

Victor, who had just been listening with his head propped up on his left hand, laughed a little and nodded. "I know it all sounds strange, but for some reason, I have a really strong feeling about this. In fact, I've already decided. If Yuuri reaches out to me, I'll do it. I will go to him." His blue eyes had become incredibly deep then, as if he were fully engulfed in some rosy fantasy. Alexei's stomach sank somewhere between his knees.

"Ah~, look at that face!" swooned Sergei, his grin spreading even wider. "Eto tak _romantichno_ ~!" Ivanna's smile grew as well and Alexei rolled his eyes. Everything so far had been sounding less and less convincing to him.

"Yulia, you've been quiet," said her twin brother, looking for at least one person who might agree with his position.

Yulia had been silently reading her Bible while actively listening to her siblings' conversation. She looked up from her scriptures and into her webcam then. "I was listening."

"So, what do _you_ think about all of this?"

"I think it's shameful to be so intoxicated in public," she said with a flat sort of affect, closing the Bible both hands. "He should have turned to the Lord in his time of need instead of to the bottle. I also do not approve of him exposing my precious baby brother to such lewd and profane behaviour."

Victor frowned. Apparently, she had forgotten about her brother's own behaviour at his 21st birthday party even if the internet still hadn't, but he wasn't about to remind her and resurrect _that_ lecture again.

Alexei, however, felt a little better that at least someone was analyzing the situation before immediately offering their blessing. " _Thank you_ , Yulia."

Clearly annoyed, Ivanna was just about to say something until the religious sister spoke again.

"However..."

The siblings paused waited to hear Yulia's addendum to her previous statement.

"Never in my life have I seen you so taken with another person, Vitya. It is nice to see you so full of limerence. And as for Mr. Catskey's... _rambunctious_ behaviour, God loves all of His children enough to forgive them when they sin. If your Yuuri Catskey can show me that he is indeed a positive influence on you, then I will give my blessing without any doubt," a small smile had formed on her face then. "Until then, I will pray that it is God's will for this happiness you've found to live on."

Victor looked overjoyed. "Yulia, thank you!"

Ivanna sat back, satisfied enough with that statement to stifle the sex positive rant she had building up and Sergei was just as happy as his little brother. Only Alexei was left still sulking. He was yet unconvinced that Victor's recent decisions were as well thought out as he appeared to feel they were. "'He in his madness prays for storms, and dreams that storms will bring him peace' – Mikhail Lermontov," Alexei muttered to himself so quietly that all but Yulia with her impeccable hearing missed the comment.

Outside, the wind knocked slightly against Alexei's windowpane.

* * *

**Translations**

* * *

\- Yuri: "Yesli ya uvizhu yego snova, ya postavlyu petardu yemu v zadnitsu..." – If I ever see him again, I'm gonna stuff a firecracker up his ass...

\- Sergei: "malen'kiy brat" – baby brother

\- Sergei: "Eto tak romantichno~!" – It's so romantic~!

* * *

The song in this chapter is "Message in a Bottle" by The Police because for some reason, I can envision Yuuri being a big fan of ska music...


	6. Livin' la Vie en Rose

Chapter 6 is up! :> Hope y'all enjoy!

 _Themadmansdaughter4421_ \- Thank you so much! :)

 _vivi1138_ \- ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ (Looks like we've got ourselves a heart war. lmao!)

* * *

_Livin' la Vie en Rose_

* * *

" _Modesty is the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it." – Oliver Herford._

This is a philosophy which the Nikiforov twins had always tried to exemplify for their darling, impressionable little brother, but they in their humbleness were unable to compete with what they perceived to be the bad influence of Ivanna and the enabling of Sergei. So Alexei wasn't too surprised when he glanced up from Leo Tolstoy to see Victor lewdly gyrating his hips, throwing flirtatious stares in Yuuri's direction, and showing off his trained, sculpted body for his boyfriend when he thought no one was looking, but Victor's sinful ways did not escape his brothers' eagle eyes. How did it end up that in spite of Alexei and Yulia's constant protection, Victor always ended up treating his body like an amusement park rather than the temple it was? Alexei quickly returned to his book when he realized he'd begun glaring at young Yuuri who seemed to be enjoying the show despite himself. As annoying as it was to see him ogle his brother, this was hardly his fault.

Eventually, the rest of the Katsukis made their appearance, carrying foodstuffs on trays as if they were servers in a restaurant. No doubt, this was a skill they'd acquired while running the resort.

"Everyone~!" announced Hiroko as she neared the table holding trays of food. Trailing behind her were Toshiya with more food and Mari with the family's tea set – specifically the one they used for guests. Over by the group of dancers and spectators in the corner, heads turned toward the merry little Japanese woman. "Breakfast is ready."

Alexei closed the book he was reading and placed it on his lap as the Katsuki family members set the table for breakfast. Yuuri handed the old photo he'd been given back to Anastasia across from him, his cheeks slightly pink and his eyes full of warmth. Although there he sat physically, the young man was mentally riding on a big, puffy dream cloud far away from where the dining room was. It wasn't until Victor neared and bent to give him a peck on the cheek that Yuuri drifted back into partial reality.

"Hey!" Alexei heard Victor say cheerfully as he pulled out a chair for himself.

"Hey," was Yuuri's response. His voice sounded a little breathy like part of him was still off in dreamland.

"So, what were you and my parents talking about?" asked Victor, amusement clear in his voice.

"Nothing. I'll tell you after breakfast."

 _He certainly is childlike, isn't he?_ thought Alexei as he thanked Mari, who was pouring him tea. _Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, I guess..._ Alexei just missed Ilya's maturity. He really felt like he could trust Ilya to care for his brother, whereas with Yuuri, as much of a nice guy as he turned out to be, Alexei couldn't help but think that it was _Victor_ who was the protector between them.

It was also a slight shock to Alexei that Yuuri was only learning just now that he was Victor's very first love. This was information Alexei himself had known for a long time. It was always so clear in Victor's voice when he spoke of Yuuri, his eyes when he thought about him, and of course, the fact that he was so eager to introduce Yuuri to his parents in person. Alexei thought that Yuuri being Victor's first would have _had_ to have come up in some conversation about their romantic experiences, but clearly, the topic was never breached. He found that odd. Was this really as deep a relationship as Victor liked to think it was?

Suddenly, the lithe Russian man felt a gentle nudge against his arm. He was snapped out of his thoughts and looked to his side to see Eclipse flashing him a questioning glance. The white haired man hadn't realized that he'd been staring at the small gold wedding bands which his younger brother and his boyfriend wore all the time. He wanted to get his mind off of it and think of other things but he couldn't help it. There seemed to him to be so much needless mystery surrounding those little gold pieces. Surely, the rings must have been another testament to Victor's affection for Yuuri seeing as while he'd managed not to misplace _this_ wedding ring, and it seemed like this one must have been conjoined to his body as he was never without it. The rings themselves certainly weren't as elaborate as the one Ilya Sokolov had bought for Victor some time ago. They must not have been as expensive either considering their plainness. The rings had no rosy engraved patterns or even any impressive stones – they were just simple little bands of gold. But what were they for? Victor had told Alexei before that Yuuri in fact hadn't proposed – that these wedding bands were bought as some sort of good luck charm or token of gratitude, but that Victor not-so-secretly considered them a sign of some sort of promise anyway... Why did that sound so vague? What the hell was that supposed to mean? What were these rings if they weren't really wedding rings? Any keychain or other trinket could be a symbol of luck or thankfulness, so what were Yuuri's true intentions when he chose gold rings of all things? If they were neither engagement nor wedding rings, were they perhaps promise rings? What was the point of this ambiguity? Why couldn't he just be direct?

Eclipse nudged him again, a little harder this time.

"Oh, sorry my love," Alexei whispered with a near gasp, picking up his chopsticks to catch up with everyone else as he was suddenly brought back to reality. He was suddenly very thankful that no one but his wife noticed where his attention had been for the past little while. Across the table and to the right, an enthusiastic Victor was holding up his chopsticks in one hand and instructing the other Russians to follow suit.

"Everyone ready?" asked Victor. As his family wasn't quite used to Japanese customs yet, he'd appointed himself a sort of tutor of the culture. The other Nikiforovs gave their attention to him and the Katsuki family, awaiting their cue.

"Itadakimasu!" said everyone in unison before they dug into breakfast.

The table was silent save for the sounds of bowls and chopsticks and little teacups clanging together or against the solid wood beneath them. It was too quiet. Members of both families squirmed a bit as they racked their brains for conversation topics, but arguably, the Russian family felt a little more pressure in this regard as they remembered Victor's words from earlier that morning.

"The Katsukis are a very shy family," he had explained. Before Yuuri woke up, Victor was standing behind his current seat, facing his family members who were all seated in the dining room while Yuuri's family was busy in the kitchen. "And I think we all came off a little too strong yesterday, so let's try to tone it down a little bit at least until they're comfortable, okay?"

And so the Nikiforovs sat, rather uncomfortably, unsure of how to break the ice without everything ending up like dinner the night before. Yuuri would have noticed the awkwardness himself what with Sergei nervously shifting around and taking the whole table with him, but he was still feeling too elated to worry much about it.

"So..." Ivanna ventured hesitantly after another five long minutes of near total silence. She didn't have anything to offer – she just wanted to break the growing tension.

"So, um," Victor started. "Sergei and I planned a few things for us all to do today."

"Oh, fantastic~" said Hiroko over her rice. Anastasia looked up from her natto, which she was thoroughly fascinated with, to see Sergei suddenly light up at the mention of the itinerary he and Victor had so lovingly crafted for this trip. Ivanna, Alexei, Eclipse, Vladimir, and Oksana also turned in the direction of their large happy relative.

"What will we be doing?" asked Oksana, turning to her excitable husband.

"Well, first, after breakfast, we thought we'd visit Hasetsu Castle," Sergei announced, his voice booming with glee. "Vitya says that Yuura told him it's a ninja castle."

Anastasia gasped with realization, her chopsticks making a clinking noise as they dropped to the table, and a toothy, heart-shaped grin spread across Victor's face. Ivanna looked very intrigued while Alexei didn't seem to respond and Yulia was still praying for their meal. Yuuri lowered one curious eyebrow under the other. _Did he just call me 'Yuura'?_

" _'Yuura'_... That is so perfect!" Anastasia just about squealed from her seat.

"Ooh, a Russian nickname!" exclaimed Toshiya.

"I hope you don't mind," said Sergei, turning toward Yuuri. They were sitting near each other so it looked like a giant addressing an ant. "You just looked so cute beside Vitya just now, I couldn't help but give you a nickname!"

Yuuri laughed softly while Victor looked extremely pleased at how well it seemed everyone was getting along. "Oh, well I don't mind at all. Thank you."

"He certainly does look like a Yuura," chuckled Ivanna as she cut up her fried egg.

"I agree. I think it suits you, _Yuura_ ," Victor's voice turned slightly sensual as he tried out his boyfriend's new nickname on his tongue. Yuuri looked even dreamier in response, his cheeks glowing a little more as an adorable little smile crossed his face. He had only ever heard Victor use that voice when they were alone in their bedroom and it was usually whispered into Yuuri's ear while the other man's gentle hands wandered wantonly, but no one else here knew that. It was a secret between the two of them. To everyone else, it was a level of flirting just wholesome enough to be called cute.

Sergei gasped and pulled both hands up to his face in a way that made him look a little like a pre-teenaged fanboy. His blue eyes seemed misty with admiration. " _That_ look! Just like that! Oh, it's so cute!"

"Look at you, Yuura," grinned Oksana, winking one brown eye while pointing a playfully mocking finger at Yuuri. "You're really crushing on Vitya, aren't you?"

Mari chortled. "I knew Yuuri before these two met back when he was a Victor fanboy. Trust me, you have no idea."

"Actually, come to think of it, Yuura, you look just like Vitya did the night after the banquet where you two met," Ivanna interjected.

Oksana looked like she had been struck with sudden realization. "You're right. He _does_!"

Hiroko seemed confused and put down her chopsticks beside her bowl. "Wait, but Yuuri, I thought you two met at the hot spring?"

Yuuri froze. _Uh oh._

Victor turned slowly to look at his boyfriend, his expression clearly screaming, _Busted!_

Across from Yuuri, a wide, impish grin spread across Mari's face – the type you might see on your sibling when they just caught you doing something you weren't supposed to and they know that all they have to do now is tattle to your parents if they want to see a real show. Victor caught the expression and looked from Mari to Yuuri and back repeatedly, watching both their reactions with some amount of amusement.

"You met at the gala?" Toshiya asked. "I remember you were so upset that you didn't even get a chance to talk to Victor at that banquet... So you actually _did_ speak to him?"

Whereas Victor had let his entire family know about the night when he first met Yuuri, Yuuri himself had never gotten around to explaining to his parents what exactly happened that night. Mari already knew because she was there when he found out, but Hiroko and Toshiya were still in the dark. It was no surprise – Yuuri hadn't even known himself until a few months into his and Victor's relationship as the alcohol had fogged his memory to the point that he'd forgotten that he had ever even spoke to the Russian man, never mind dancing both with and for him. And then after that revelation, the idea of sharing the story with his mother and father had just never occurred to Yuuri. He'd actually done his best to forget some of the juicier parts of that memory because the idea that he had pole danced in his underwear with Chris Giacometti, dry humped his childhood hero who was just a beautiful stranger to him at the time, and drawn so much attention to himself in a formal setting as documented by the internet was just way too embarrassing to share willingly. He had always been secretly glad that his parents weren't tech savvy enough to Google him or else they might have stumbled upon the evidence of that fateful night, but now it was here, without warning, lewd and spread eagle and winking on the table in front of them.

"Why don't you tell mom and dad _all_ about it, Yuuri?" asked Mari with both her elbows on the table, supporting her head, a playful cruelness twinkling in her eyes. Sometimes, she could be a real booger. Victor giggled at Yuuri's misfortune underneath his right hand, gold ring reflecting the sunshine from the open window. He could be a booger sometimes too.

Anastasia and the other Nikiforovs save for Victor and Vladimir (who was listening, but he couldn't make too many expressions while he was eating his breakfast) looked a little surprised. "Yuura, did you not tell your parents...?" Mrs. Nikiforov inquired.

"Uh..."

Oksana shifted back into her seat, realizing that the embarrassing secret was about to be revealed. She was a little sorry that she and Ivanna had even brought it up. If Oksana had known, she would have avoided the subject entirely. Sergei watched the spectacle that was about with unfold before him, Eclipse snapped pictures like she always did, Ivanna looked like she was waiting to jump in wherever she thought she was needed to help Yuuri by taking his side to convince his parents that what happened wasn't a big deal at all, Yulia sipped on her tea silently, and Alexei merely waited to see what would happen. Everyone's attention was on Yuuri and he could feel it – they all wanted to see what he would do or say next. Would his first move be to deny everything or would he own it?

Well, neither actually.

Yuuri turned to his boyfriend beside him, big puppy-dog eyes looking desperately for help as his face now flushed for an entirely different reason than before. "S-so Vicchan, where did you say you wanted to go?"

Mari's grin only grew. Distraction – that was his first strategy? Surely it wouldn't work, Mari thought, but she only had to look at the Russian man once to see in Victor's eyes that his resolve was shaking as he fought against the cuteness of the younger man's stare. Her smile dropped. _No. Victor, you can't-!_

Yuuri had learned very recently that his innocent brown eyes possessed a power over Victor's heart that could be used to make him bend to Yuuri's every will. He rarely ever utilized this weapon because it was kind of embarrassing to him, but right now, he needed Victor to take his side more than ever. Unfortunately for Yuuri, Mari wasn't having it. She was very much determined to spill the story her brother was clearly trying to hide, so before Victor could give his boyfriend the out that he wanted, she swooped in. " _Oooooh no_ , Yuuri, you're not gonna change _this_ subject."

 _Crap._ The raven haired man turned to his sister, his expression now displaying an almost comical betrayal. She responded by showing her teeth through her smile. His stare may have almost captured his boyfriend like the song of a siren captures many a sailor but it wouldn't work on her. She would be the laryngitis to his song if she had to be. Victor laughed softly at the exchange and placed a comforting hand on Yuuri's shoulder.

"Should _I_ tell them?" he offered mercifully. Alexei held back a sigh. He never did like this story much...

"Tell us what?" Yuuri's mother asked, suddenly a bit concerned.

"No, no, I don't trust you," said Mari, pointing her chopsticks accusingly at the youngest Nikiforov as he held out his hands in front of him almost as if to block her denunciatory gesture. "You're weak, Victor. One look at those sad little puppy eyes and you were almost done for just now."

Victor shrugged at her sheepishly before resting his head on one hand with a slight pout. "It's not _my_ fault Yuuri's so cute..." he whined.

"Come on, just tell them," said Ivanna, trying to be encouraging. "It's no big deal. Lots of people meet that way."

"They do not," replied Alexei matter-of-factly, taking a sip of tea. Truthfully, he was probably right, but he wasn't helping the situation by any means. It wasn't that Alexei meant to be aggressive or anything, but his bluntness and rather flat sense of humour didn't always rub people the right way, his older sister included. Ivanna scowled and resisted the urge to throw a natto bean at his pretty little androgynous face.

" _Somebody_ tell us what happened!" exclaimed Toshiya, growing increasingly impatient. He wasn't angry at all. He just hated not being in the know.

"Okay okay," Mari offered. "I'll tell it."

"But Vitya was there himself," said Oksana. "Shouldn't he tell it?"

"Oh, but he'll leave out all the details," the Katsuki sister huffed.

"How many _details_ to mom and dad need to know?!" asked Yuuri, suddenly developing a backbone.

" _I_ shall tell the story."

Curiously, everyone's heads turned toward the far side of the table where Yulia, appearing almost like a dark figure in her all-black religious attire, had stood up above everyone. While the Katsuki family looked incredibly confused, most of the Nikiforovs regarded her with awe and baited breaths.

"Yulia is an amazing storyteller," Victor explained when he saw the perplexed looks on their faces.

"She went to acting school!" Sergei exclaimed, his massive body bouncing with delight.

"But... Does she know what happened?" Mari asked in a near whisper.

"I listened to Vitya rant about the cute boy he just met for days after that banquet," explained Yulia. Mari was just amazed she was able to hear her from all the way at the other end of the table. "In addition, I spent some time researching my brother's new beau myself. I cannot offer eye-witness accounts, but I can do my best."

"Well then," ventured Toshiya. "By all means... Please tell us the story."

Yuuri buried his face in his hands. This would either be really really good or really really bad.

Yulia cleared her throat briefly before speaking in an almost breathy voice that was very pleasing to the ear. It was easy to forget with her current devotion to her faith that she was an actress by trade. Yuuri could swear he could hear the sound of bongo drums emphasizing her rhythmic speech, but he couldn't trace the sound.

"The night was clear, starless and the air, heavy with the soft hum of chatter and restrained merriment. There my baby brother and certainly the man of the hour, heart full of sadness and uncertainty in spite of his unquestioned success, hid beneath his handsome smile and the tall champagne flute betwixt his graceful fingers away from prying eyes. It had been so long since these events had first begun to tire him. These banquets which should have brought him joy were now only a dull chore with their formality and sameness each and every year.

"But hark!"

Yulia's voice reached a crescendo as she pointed dramatically in front of her, not at anything really, but to emphasize this part of the story. In the minds of her audience, they could clearly see every event as she described it.

"Behold! Victor's eyes briefly caught the place across the room where spontaneously birthed tempest winds converged. All in attendance were filled with fear, awe and wonder for never before had they seen something so resplendent, so magnificent, so horrible as the human-shaped phantasm before them.

"He was heavily intoxicated, for he had placated himself in the bittersweet embrace of the glass in order to cope with the humiliation of his utter defeat. However, the elixir had transformed him into something strange and seemingly supernatural."

Now, she illustrated her words with movement, imitating the first part of Yuuri's Eros routine where he stands in place and moves his arms about him gracefully before giving his audience – usually his former coach particularly – a sexy stare. Yuuri gasped slightly when he saw this. He had no idea that this nun had even any ounce of eros in her body, but he supposed she was also an actress by trade and so mimicry must have been one of her specialties.

"The seductive siren inside of him, drunk off the potent ambrosia, sang out to my brother and like many sailors before him, young Victor, powerless to the other man's gentle yet demanding wiles, sank beneath the depths of Yuuri's captivating stare.

"The building was set ablaze with the sexuality in his every step. None could resist him for submission was their only option and it was an option which they gleefully accepted. Was he a god or was he merely possessed by one? This was a question that none could answer, but all knew that something too unearth-like to be human had intervened that night.

"Yuuri moved as if the pole were a naturally occurring part of his body. He challenged others to pluck his golden crown from the top of his head if they dared. He was a storm worthy of his name and that night, he mercilessly stole my brother's sweet heart away.

 _"'Come and find me in Japan,'_ he said at the end of the night, still clutching Victor's fragile beating core against his own chest – his prize, his trophy. _'And you shall be my ally in battle.'_

"And with that, he spirited away just as swiftly as he had arrived, leaving my brother hopelessly, utterly enchanted by his spell."

The actress-turned-nun was leaning against the table now, illustrating how desperate Victor must have looked having his heart taken from him. She froze there for the story concluded.

After a few seconds, the entire table erupted in applause. Yulia slowly rose from her position and took a bow graciously.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Anastasia, standing as she clapped her hands.

"As always," added Vladimir. His naturally scrunched up face reflected a slightly more pleasant expression.

"That... was actually really good," Mari said with awe written on her face and echoing in her voice. Her thoroughly entertained parents were clapping just beside her. Funny how fine they were with essentially being told that their son was drunken pole dancing for his soon-to-be-boyfriend when it was framed so poetically.

Yuuri joined in the applause and glanced at his Russian beau. He was surprised to see that Victor wasn't so much focused on congratulating his sister for her performance. Instead, he had his hands clasped in front of him as if he were clapping but stopped, and he gazed up and down the table at the entire group of his and Yuuri's relatives, a look of happiness on his face. Yuuri looked around at them too and could see whhy Victor looked so pleased. Yulia was smiling for what Yuuri thought was the first time since she had arrived in Hasetsu and Alexei swelled with pride in his younger twin. Ivanna and Mari were actually having a pleasant little side conversation, comparing the versions of the gala story they had been told and how the interpretation they just saw was so accurate. Victor's parents, Anastasia mostly, were gushing about Yulia's talent to Yuuri's parents, who were telling them how amazed they were by her. Eclipse was taking photos merrily and Sergei, reaching past a giggling Oksana, was trying to convince Yulia to act out his mountain lion story next.

No wonder Victor looked so happy, his hands falling gently into his lap. The Nikiforovs and the Katsukis were getting along. They looked not like two separate families, but one. Not near perfect strangers, but old friends. Everyone looked so happy to be in each others' company as joy and chatter filled the air. This is what should have happened on the first day. Things were finally going the way that the young gay couple had always wanted. Underneath the table, Yuuri reached out to gently grasp Victor's hand in his. This caught the older man's attention and he looked beside him to see his boyfriend staring back at him, a content little smile on his face. It was such a familiar expression – like the one Yuuri wore during their pairs skate at the exhibition for the last Grand Prix Final. Neither had to say a word. They were both thinking the same thing.

Victor tightened his loose grip around Yuuri's hand and leaned against the smaller man affectionately while they watched the harmonious scene play out before them.

* * *

"Okay, ready? Everyone, say 'cheese'!"

Hours after breakfast, the two families hit the town right on schedule. Truthfully, there wasn't much in the ways of tourist attractions around Hasetsu, but there was enough for the first day of a family vacation. Hasetsu Castle was the first stop on their trip since the Russians couldn't wait to see a "real" ninja castle. The Nikiforovs were full of the same enthusiasm which struck Victor the first time he'd been to the attraction himself and they were delightedly scrunching themselves together so that Toshiya could take a group photo of them.

"Cheese!" the Russian family said in unison before the flash went off on Sergei's camera.

Once the photo had been taken, Anastasia pirouetted away from the group and spread her thin arms out wide, looking about her and doing an excited little balancé from side to side once she was a sufficient distance away. "Oh, it's so beautiful here!"

"Are there _real_ ninjas here?" asked Sergei zestfully, bouncing from left to right in his spot and seeming to shake the Earth underneath him. A few Hasetsu natives eyed him cautiously as Toshiya handed back his camera for they had never seen a foreigner so bulky as he.

"Is there a gift shop?" Alexei inquired, placing his hand above his eyes as if to elongate his sight. "I promised my children I'd send them a post card and pictures with their Uncle Vitya."

"Is that a drive-in chicken restaurant right under the castle?!" giggled Ivanna, pointing in the direction of the small establishment. "It's making me feel hungry again."

"Let's not wander too far," Hiroko instructed to the dispersing group while Eclipse stood beside her, taking pictures of literally everything. "Sergei and Vicchan have planned a full day for us, so we'll all meet back here in an hour."

An upbeat little Yuuri walked about for a little bit before parking himself on a little wooden bench just overlooking the castle. The Nikiforovs had spread out to explore the grounds with his own family not too far away. Anastasia had stolen Yuuri's parents away, taking them both by linking their elbows in hers as she stepped en pointe over to her plump, limping little husband, insisting that they show them around. Mari ended up hanging out with Yulia and Oksana and explaining what little she herself knew of the attraction. Sergei looked like he was making new friends among the Hasetsu natives, probably about to tell them his mountain lion story. The mirth from breakfast had thankfully carried over and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Sighing contently, Yuuri sat back and stared at the sky above him. He was worried things would stay as awkward as they initially were, but it was only the second day and everyone was already warming up to each other quite well.

Suddenly, Yuuri's phone began vibrating against his thigh in his pocket. He glanced at the touch screen to see Phichit's name above two new messages.

 **((** Phichit: Hey yuuri, long time no chat! lol **))**

 **((** Phichit: How ya been? I heard victors family was coming over **))**

Yuuri's hands were busy at work, typing up his response.

 **((** Yuuri: hey :) **))**

 **((** Yuuri: its going ok. We're sightseeing now. It was a little rocky the beginning but its fine today. **))**

 **((** Phichit: rocky? Rly? :o **))**

 **((** Yuuri: yeah, theyre just really different from my family thats all. theyre really eccentric and i guess we werent really ready for that. **))**

 **((** Phichit: lol that makes sense. **))**

 **((** Phichit: victor's pretty out there himself **))**

 **((** Yuuri: lmao **))**

 **((** Phichit: but he's a good guy **))**

 **((** Yuuri: haha yeah he is **))**

 **((** Yuuri: so whats up w/ u? **))**

 **((** Phichit: nuthin much. Practice has been great~ **))**

 **((** Phichit: victuuri fanclub's got a bunch new members :D **))**

Yuuri turned a little red at the mention of the Facebook group Phichit and Minami had put together about a month ago. The only person in the world who might have been a bigger supporter of Victor and Yuuri's relationship other than both their parents was most definitely Phichit Chulanont (although Kenjirou Minami was slowly becoming a close second). Being one of Yuuri's best friends and a near expert selfie taker, Phichit unwittingly and without trying became the internet's first real peak into the interactions between the two when they were off the ice. Once, he was taking an innocent photo of himself in an ugly Christmas sweater only to later find the two boyfriends kissing under the mistletoe in the back. Another time, he was going to snap a picture of himself and Yuuri holding elaborate little crepes stuffed with fruit and ice cream only for Victor to photobomb them by walking up behind Yuuri when he wasn't looking, wrapping his arms around the smaller man and taking a bite out of his dessert. Phichit once tried to take a picture of himself and Makkachin in giant sunglasses but then Victor ran by behind him, carrying Yuuri bridal style while an angry little Yurio chased after them, shouting something after them which the Thai skater wasn't really paying attention to.

But sometimes, catching Yuuri and Victor doing something cute together wasn't by accident. There was one time when the two had fallen asleep on each other in the back of Leo's car and Phichit couldn't help but preserve the moment. There was also the time when Yuuri lost a bet against JJ and had to sit in Victor's lap while feeding him in front of all who were in attendance as part of the deal – how could Phichit _not_ post that on his Instagram?

Eventually, the Thai skater realized just how many other people shared his love for this ice romance when one day, he posted his newest photo of the two cooking in a hotel kitchenette (well, _Yuuri_ was cooking anyway, while Victor sat on the counter, drank all the raspberry vodka and ate all the cheese and crackers), and decided offhandedly to tag it as #Victuuri - both of their names squished together to form a rather clever pun.

It went viral.

Suddenly, everyone in the figure skating world was using #Victuuri. It got so big that every time Victor and Yuuri were affectionate in the rink, commentators would dub it a "Victuuri Moment" (and that was especially entertaining when Japanese talk shows would replay them, overlaying a Victuuri Moment graphic over the scene and playing cheesy romantic music). Victor was totally enthralled by the idea that so many people shipped him with his boyfriend. Yuuri was a little uncomfortable with the attention, but he tried to see the humour in it all. It _was_ kind of nice to see so many people having fun with something that brought he himself so much happiness.

So, Phichit had officially invented #Victuuri, but he didn't stop there. He and Minami ended up forming the Official Victuuri Fan Club on Facebook which brought in many members from figure skating fans to fellow figure skaters. Guang Hong, Leo, Chris, Georgi, Mila, Sara, the Nishigori triplets, Minako, Mari, and even Victor himself were all currently members along with Phichit and Minami, president and vice president respectively. Apparently, Anya, Emil, Isabella, Yuuto Omiki, and Hikaru Fujiwara had recently joined the club as well. Yuuri sighed at the thought of the slightly embarrassing club and typed out his response.

 **((** Yuuri: I still cant believe u and minami actually did that **))**

 **((** Phichit: lol **))**

 **((** Yuuri: and i cant believe it has so many members now **))**

 **((** Phichit: the people demanded it yuuri! :D **))**

Yuuri laughed a little at his friend and was so engrossed in the conversation that he didn't notice the grey haired man approaching him.

"What a relief, huh?"

The Japanese man tore his attention from his phone to search for the source of the familiar voice and found Victor sitting beside him on the wooden bench. "Everyone seems to be enjoying each others' company."

"Oh, hey," said Yuuri, slipping his cellphone into his pocket. Phichit could wait. "Not gonna go sightseeing?"

Victor shrugged. "I've been around here already, Yuuri. Plus, how long have I been living in Hasetsu now? My tourist days should be over, right?"

Yuuri chuckled, but it was nice to hear that his boyfriend considered his humble little town to be home. "I suppose you're right," he replied and then stretched his arms above his head while releasing a deep yawn.

Just beside him, Victor noticed the cellphone in Yuuri's hand and scrunched up his face into an annoyed expression. "Yuuri," the silver-haired man pouted, elongating the 'uu' to emphasize his irritation. Yuuri put down his arms and looked at his boyfriend, curious and slightly worried. "... Are you playing Pokemon Go without me?"

Pokemon first came to Russia when Victor was 11 years old and even with his rigorous training and school life, he still managed to catch almost every episode. That is, until he turned 14 and decided the anime wasn't cool anymore, but he would still play the games. Now as an adult, Victor was almost more excited than Yuuri was to play the app, which they would play whenever they went out to walk Makkachin. It was "their thing", Victor liked to say. The Japanese man raised an eyebrow with another light chuckle. "What? No. I was texting Phichit."

"Oh, I see," said Victor, seeming pleased with the response. "How's Phichit doing?"

"He's fine. He, um, he says our fanclub..."

"Has a bunch of new members?" asked Victor, his face suddenly lighting up. "I know. I'm in the club, remember?"

"Vicchan, how are _you_ a member of _your own_ fan club?" inquired Yuuri incredulously.

"Well, _I_ ship us too!" Victor exclaimed, gesturing to the small baby blue and magenta #Victuuri pin on his backpack.

Yuuri stared at it, sweating profusely. He still couldn't believe Victor actually bought that thing. "You are..." he said slowly. "Very silly."

The Russian only flashed him a toothy heart-shaped grin with a cute little wink before checking the messages on his own phone. The two men were silent for a bit while their family members ran about just a short distance in front of them, randomly peering around ancient arches, conversing with each other and snapping photos of traditional architecture.

"So," Victor turned his entire body to face Yuuri then, swinging one leg over the bench so that he sat in a straddle position. "Do you think your family is still afraid of mine?"

The raven-haired man shifted his weight onto the arm closest to his silver haired partner and smiled. "They're definitely breaking the ice now, especially our parents. I think this might actually work out after all."

Victor let out a sigh of relief while placing his hand over his heart as if to steady its anxious beating. "That's good to hear. They finally seem to be getting along!"

"Yeah," Yuuri cooed, watching Ivanna and Mari laugh about something a ways away. Apparently, his older sister's initial discomfort with the tall Russian lady especially was beginning to melt away. "It's nice."

* * *

The time was 2:33PM locally – or 14:33 as every clock at the station read. Finally, he'd arrived at his destination. He stretched his arms over his head and breathed in the cool, crisp air of Hasetsu as he'd been sitting down for the past three hours and was feeling restless. The bus ride in from Kumamoto had been long, but at least it gave him and opportunity to take in the sights along the way.

Finding a bench to sit on, he pulled out a small map of the area from his pocket and eyed a handful of spots circled in red marker. He narrowed down the most likely locations and retrieved his cellphone to consult Google Maps. Typing in the addresses, he mapped the fastest way to the hot springs from there. He had to move quickly or he might miss his chance.

* * *

Hope you guys enjoyed this! :D If you did, please remember to fave, follow, and leave a review~

Do any of you have a favourite Nikiforov thus far? Let me know! ^^


	7. Fly Me to Hasetsu

Ahhh, I'm so sorry this is so late! >_< I recently started a new job and things have just been very busy. lol Thanks, everyone for being so patient! I'm going to try to post two chapters a day this weekend and then the last one on Sunday, so stay tuned~

vivi1138 - ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ HAH!

BasilSing - Who knows? :3

Themadmansdaughter4421 - Thank you so much! :D

siab89 - I know - I couldn't see his family possibly being any other way. He had to get all that extra-ness from somewhere! lol

* * *

_Fly Me to Hasetsu_

* * *

"Alright, young man. Let's start with your name."

The year was 2006. In Russia, the event that North American anglophones call prom is instead called vypusknоi vechеr, or "the evening of graduation". After all state exams were completed, the graduating students at Akademiya Devy Marii bustled about, buying dresses and renting suits and reserving limousines – doing all they could to make sure that their vypusknоi vechеr was a memorable one. But one student, eighteen year-old Victor Nikiforov, had very little time for such things because for the majority of his young life, figure skating always came first. Regarded by most as a local celebrity and a moonlight-haired enigma, he was a bit of a legend around the halls of the Eastern Orthodox school. Most kids had never met him, but they always dreamed that they might catch a glimpse his long silver locks trailing behind him, a stark contrast to the scarlet of his uniform, as he rushed to class one of the few times when he could spend a full day at school. Others were lucky enough to be in his classes and could even remember the day back in tenth grade when they first heard that then fifteen year-old Victor would be bringing home an Olympic gold medal. Others still, by far the smallest group of the three, had the honour of calling themselves Victor's friends. These kids ate lunch with him whenever he could stay and had even been invited to his home for birthday parties and the like, a blessing which made each of them seem to shine a little in the school's public eye just by association to the budding hero. Long story short, Victor was very popular and very much sought after by his fellow students. Everyone wanted to be involved in his life, whether that be as his friend, his lover, or his personal ass kisser. Every student from grades eleven to twelve wanted him to be their prom date (well, technically, many grade six to ten students longed for him as well, but alas, all were too young to attend the event). However, none of this changed the fact that Victor had very little time to prepare for vypusknоi vechеr, and so unable to allow him to go without, his family was there to help him wherever they could.

Ivanna was tasked with finding him something nice to wear. She had already chosen a trendy white suit with peachy pink accents and she'd learned how to do a side-sweeping dutch braid to hang about Victor's shoulders specifically for the occasion. Ivanna planned on pairing the hairstyle with an open golden circlet in the shape of a laurel wreath because she knew that the two of them shared the same love of androgynous fashion.

Sergei made arrangements for a limousine and had invited each of his brother's friends to accompany him. It certainly wouldn't be Victor's first time in a limo, but this time, he could drink and be merry with his closest classmates instead of sitting quietly and respectfully with a bunch of adults he didn't quite know.

And finally, Alexei and Yulia appointed themselves in charge of finding their brother a date – someone who would be up to their standards, of course. The twins had set it up so that all students who wished to take Victor to prom would need to submit an application. After sorting through hundreds of applicants, they conducted interviews at a local cafe.

The blond haired sixteen year-old boy shifted slightly in his seat. Nowadays, one can tell that he is certainly more confident in himself now than when he and Victor had first met years ago, but back then, he wasn't exactly the same as the man most of us know and love today.

"Uh... I'm Christophe. Christophe Giacometti."

Little known fact: Having felt so inspired by Victor's performances, Christophe decided he simply _had_ to spend a year training alongside him at the same rink in Saint Petersberg and the same English-speaking school. The two of them had become quite friendly and as soon as Chris realized that Victor's graduation meant he would likely be attending the magical formal evening, he knew he had to ask him out. This would be his last shot, after all. Sure, the Swiss boy would probably have his own version of prom waiting for him back home, but the likelihood that he could bring the Russian boy along was miniscule at best. And how could he not want to bring Victor Nikiforov to such an event? So here he sat in this small Russian cafe at a small circular pastel pink table across from a man whose slim, gracile body made him look almost elf-like and a quiet similarly built woman Chris swore he'd seen on the big screen many times.

"Uh huh, I see," said the man while the woman with the feathery grey pixie cut she had been sporting back then wrote something down on her notepad. "So how old are you? And how do you know Vitya?"

"Well, I'm sixteen years old," Chris explained. "I'm a figure skater like he is."

Alexei's attention seemed to perk up at the mention of the icy sport. To be in the same profession at such a young age, perhaps this boy was as hard working as his darling little brother. Yulia seemed to take the hint and noted something on her pad.

"Very interesting," he said as his thin fingers spun around his coffee cup slowly. "So Christophe, do you have a thing for my brother?"

Chris blushed. At twenty-five, he wouldn't have been so embarrassed. He would have been coy and vague and he would have toyed with the rather intrusive man on purpose, but this Chris was much more timid than his adult self. Adult Christophe wouldn't have cared who knew about his schoolboy crush on Victor, but younger Christophe would have never admitted it for fear of rejection. "N-no, sir. We're just friends."

"I see." Alexei turned to his twin sister, some sort of silent twins-only conversation happening between their glances and the younger twin nodded at her brother. Alexei then quickly finished off his coffee before both twins stood to their feet. "Well Christophe, it was nice meeting you. The coffee will be on us, so don't worry about it."

Chris humbly took Alexei's extended hand and shook it before quickly adding, "Um, so, may I take Vitya to prom then?"

Alexei flashed him a business-like smile. "We need to go over all the applicants so far, and Vitya will choose from the top five, but we'll call with within a week. Thanks again for coming."

A week and a half later, Chris was filled with elation when he finally got that call. The top five ended up being him, two teens of nonbinary gender, one girl, and one other guy. If Alexei had known that shy Chris would turn out to be the skating sex god he is today, he wouldn't have even made it to the interview, but this was before all of that. Of all of the students on the top five list, Victor chose him because he knew him the best... And he also liked Chris' developing stubble as it turned out. Alexei was hoping that Chris would shave his new growth for prom but Victor convinced him to keep it, and truth be told, it really didn't take much convincing if it was from him.

Although Chris cherishes his memories of that vypusknоi vechеr to this day, he still raises an eyebrow when he thinks of the interview process Victor's siblings actually conducted in order to find him a "suitable" partner. Even after getting to know Victor and some of his family a little better over the years, Chris still finds himself a little surprised that they were willing to take the whole thing that far.

He always wondered what must have happened to make Alexei and Yulia so overprotective.

* * *

Having finally left Hasetsu Castle, the Nikiforov and Katsuki families piled into a bus to head off to the largest Shinto shrine in the town. The smell of fried chicken from their lunch still lingered on their clothing as each of the group members found a seat within the vehicle. It was a twenty minute ride up a sizable hill until the top of the large holy building was peaking over the horizon. The Russians save for Victor pressed their faces against the glass windows and stared out, their gazes full of almost childlike wonderment at the traditional Japanese structure.

"There it is!" announced Hiroko as Morikawa Inari Shrine seemed to be advancing toward them.

There were "ooohs" and "awws" among the Europeans and little clicking noises as Eclipse had turned off the flash on her camera as not to catch the glare of the glass window.

"It's nor required to pray to their deities, is it...?" asked Yulia with a smidgen of worry in her voice. As a devout Catholic nun, such things were very concerning to her.

"No, of course not!" assured Hiroko. "The only things they typically ask are that you purify yourself with water before entering and be respectful in general."

Yulia looked relieved. "Very well then."

The bus reached the plateau before it began to gently roll down the hill and the large mostly coal black shrine came into view, its large red torii in the front a reverent image against the Hasetsu skyline. Their ride finally ended just beyond the foot of the hill where the orange bus stop sign sat in a spot near the sidewalk a five minute stroll from Morikawa Inari Shrine.

Minutes passed and the herd of Katsukis and Nikiforovs was standing in front of the haiden just after making their offerings by tossing coins into the box. Yulia excused herself from this, choosing instead to wait for the families to be finished before she accompanied them. In accordance with Toshiya's instruction, the group bowed respectfully before turning to where the nun stood.

"And that's how you visit a shrine," explained Toshiya. The Russians stared about them in amazement at their surroundings.

"We take a closer look now, yes?" asked Vladimir. He was usually quite silent, but he did seem sincerely interested in taking in the sights about him. Apparently, he had a strong sense of adventure, much like Sergei and his wife who camped in the mountains on their honeymoon.

"Yes, follow us!" Hiroko exclaimed as she and her husband lead the way. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuuri could see Eclipse tug gently on Alexei's sleeve to get his attention. He looked at her then and she came closer to whisper in his ear. When she was finished, he simply nodded and turned in Yuuri's mother's direction.

"Mrs. Catskey?" Alexei asked. His strange little wife was clinging to his arm anxiously. "Eclipse would like to know whether or not it's alright to take pictures?"

"Oh yes, this shrine does allow photography," Hiroko replied.

Eclipse, who had seemed a touch nervous ever since entering the holy grounds, suddenly perked up and immediately grabbed her digital camera from around her neck. She had tried to refrain from doing so out of respect, but if it was alright to take pictures, then she would indulge.

"Thank you," Alexei smiled, happy to have alleviated his wife's restlessness.

With that, the merry band was off to explore the rest of the shrine. Yuuri took his time enjoying the sights before him. It had been ages since he'd last visited Morikawa Inari Shrine. It was always one of those things that gave him nostalgic feelings whenever it came to mind. He remembered going several times in his childhood and his teenage years, wishing that the kami would bless him so that he could win the local skating competitions. Sometimes his requests were granted and other times, it just wasn't in the cards, but like clockwork, he always came back.

As he thought of it, Yuuri realized that he used to do a lot of wishing at this shrine. Aside from his constant offerings, he suddenly remembered that he'd bought an ema when he was around sixteen or seventeen years old. Specifically, he'd requested the one with the jumping dog painted on it beside the word "gan'i", or wish. That was around the time when he'd been informed of his acceptance at the University of Michigan in Detroit. There he would study there and train on the ice under the tutelage of Celestino Cialdini, but the part he was most excited about was being able some day to take part in the Grand Prix Final and meet his hero and long-time crush. Of course, the whole thing would end up being quite humiliating for him, but years before, Yuuri could barely contain himself at the thought. He could still remember writing, "Please let me meet Victor Nikiforov!" on the wooden plaque before handing it back to the miko to be hung with the rest of them. Come to think of it, he wondered if his ema from all those years ago was still there among the wishes for good health and marital bliss...

He was zoning out again and Victor nudged him back to reality. "Hey, hey, Yuuri!"

Yuuri jumped slightly. He hadn't realized that he'd fallen all the way to the back of the herd with only Victor walking beside him. Yuuri turned to his Russian boyfriend expectantly.

"Remember when I asked you when you and my parents were talking about at breakfast?" asked the platinum blond. "So, what was it?"

"Wha-... Oh!" Yuuri exclaimed. He'd almost completely forgotten. "Well, your mother basically told me that... Uhh..." Suddenly, he was hard to talk over his own heart fluttering in his chest. "She said that I'm your first love."

Victor's expression softened into a warm smile. "Well yes, that's true."

Yuuri paused for a moment before he spoke again, his cheeks now pink as he smiled back. "... Really?"

"Does that surprise you?" laughed Victor.

"Well, I mean..." The answer was yes, but Yuuri didn't really want to say that. Once upon a time, Yuuri had thought of Victor as being some sort of untouchable god sitting atop a mighty golden throne, a thing to be worshiped and revered, but it was quite impossible to still hold those beliefs about him after having gotten to know the champion skater so well. More than once, Yuuri had walked in on Victor while he was using the washroom and the Japanese man would always scream and recoil at the sight as if he'd been smacked backward by some unseen force while the aforementioned Russian "god" pointed and giggled childishly. Afterwards, Yuuri would sulk over the question of why Victor was so bad at remembering to lock the door or why he himself always forgot to knock. How could he possibly think of him as being so holy after that? However, it was not Yuuri's view of Victor which was the problem but his view of himself. His confidence had definitely improved since they first met, but it was still a work in progress. " I mean, I know you were engaged before so I just thought... I guess I just... Well, I'm a little surprised that no one else really caught your attention like that. I'm sure you know that there are a lot of people who wanted and still want you..."

"But I don't want any of them," Victor whispered back, suddenly standing very close to Yuuri. "As for my engagement, that wasn't a very balanced relationship. But I don't feel that with you. There's something about you, Yuuri... Something so inspiring that makes me feel all sorts of good things I've never felt before..."

The Japanese man's face flushed harder. Victor was always so good at talking about his emotions and Yuuri had been learning throughout their relationship to keep up with him in that department. However, his lack of confidence still made it hard to take compliments without feeling a little unsure even if his brain told him to just accept them and be done with it.

"W-wow..." was all Yuuri could muster at that moment as his deep brown eyes locked with Victor's aqua blue stare. They stayed like that for only seconds, but it was long enough for Yuuri to realize that they were being watched. Slowly, Yuuri tore his gaze from his Russian lover to see the entire group in front staring at them with expressions ranging between wonder, exasperation, and amusement. He jumped a little in shock and embarrassment. Yuuri and Victor had been so distracted by each other that they were holding up the group.

"If you two lovebirds are done," Mari said, sighing a little at her brother and his boyfriend. "We're taking the Nikiforovs to buy ema."

"O-oh! Right..." stuttered Yuuri, placing a hand behind his head before letting out an awkward little laugh.

"Will you come with us?" asked Anastasia from the front of the line, smiling sweetly at them both.

"Yes, Mama," Victor replied, taking Yuuri's free hand in his and leading him forward. The Japanese man looked at the place where his boyfriend had taken him briefly before approaching the group as he was directed. "We'll try not to get lost along the way~."

* * *

_Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it._

He cursed and buried his face in his hands after he stared at the sign that read "closed" in Japanese. _Of course_ they would be closed today. They'd probably be closed most days this week, and now he'd wasted time and energy because he'd failed to think of that sooner. Shaking his head, he found a large rock to park himself on and went about retrieving his map from earlier. Prior to coming here, he had narrowed down all of the places where people typically went when they visited Hasetsu. All was not lost. He might find what he was looking for at one of these places.

* * *

_Na na na na na na na na na na na~_

_Na na na na na na na na na na na~_

Hours after their shrine adventure, there was pop music blaring over speakers in a large private room which Victor had booked a few weeks in advance at the back of a popular karaoke bar. Ivanna was at the mic, doing a little dance while the music played. Truthfully, her voice didn't need to be amplified as her training as a professional opera singer gave her the ability to project her voice across many large venues without any help, but she played along anyway for fun. On her left side was Victor, who had volunteered to be one of her backup singers, grinning widely and shaking his hips along with the modern disco beat. To Ivanna's right was Mari, who unlike Victor, had been forced into singing backup because she was the only other person who knew the song. Once it was time for her part, Ivanna turned dramatically to face her cheering audience, her high ponytail swinging in a circle around her, before she began rocking her hips this way and that way. Victor sang and danced loudly to accompany her while Mari muttered begrudgingly.

_Ivanna: Alright, why don't we get our groove on here tonight?_

_(Victor/Mari: Baby, come with me tonight. Baby, come into the light.)_

_Ivanna: Brand new world, if you want it, don't be too shy!_

_(Victor/Mari: Take me to your love tonight. Take me to your love tonight.)_

_Ivanna: And this day tonight, I'm gonna catch that guy's eyes on me._

_(Victor/Mari: Get it on, get it on now.)_

_Ivanna: If you move any closer, you should know there is no guarantee._

The Russian siblings moved fluidly with the music while Mari seemed a bit stiff in comparison. Regardless, they all got the same amount of praise from the entertained crowd in the form of clapping and the occasional hooting and hollering from Sergei and Oksana. Anastasia tried to keep up with the couple, her English presenting a bit of a barrier.

"WOOO, go girl!" called Oksana, her muscular bulky body swaying to the rhythm.

"Yeah, Mari!" shouted Sergei so loud that the music paled in comparison.

"Yes, very good!" cheered Anastasia with her heavy accent while Vladimir had fallen asleep beside her (the poor old man was probably tired from all the walking). "Very happy! Alright!"

Beside her parents, Yulia applauded daintily for her siblings, taking little sips of iced black tea whenever she felt the urge. Across from them sat the rest of the group. Alexei, Yuuri and the Katsuki parents were clapping to the beat while Eclipse had that same tickled grin on her face that she'd had on when they all first sat down to dinner. No doubt, she'd taken 20 photos of the private performance already. Up on the makeshift stage, Ivanna pranced about in her very high heels looking as much like Beyonce as she possibly could while Victor started putting a little bit more of his own style into his moves rather than trying to match the bubblegum-y theme of the song. It seemed that he was applying everything he'd ever learned from Kpop. Mari on the other hand, just stood in place, wondering why she had to open her big mouth and mention that she knew the song was by Yuna Ito.

_Na na na na na na na na na na na~_

_Ivanna: So hot! I want you so hot._

_Na na na na na na na na na na na~_

_Ivanna: So hot! I got you so hot._

_Love is so groovy groovy!_

_(Victor/Mari: Groovy, groovy!)_

_Ivanna: Love is so groovy groovy!_

_(Victor/Mari: Groovy, groovy!)_

_Ivanna: If you are ready for it, fall in love._

_Ivanna: Love is so groovy groovy!_

_(Victor/Mari: Groovy, groovy!)_

_Ivanna: Love is so groovy groovy!_

_(Victor/Mari: Groovy, groovy!)_

_Ivanna: I'll make you crazy for me. Be the one~!_

When the song finally started to wind down, Ivanna struck a cute pose and held it while Victor kept on dancing since he still had to sing backup. By then, Mari had stopped what she was doing altogether and just began staring at the siblings while clutching the microphone to her chest.

_(Victor: Baby, come with me tonight. Baby, come into the light...)_

He then struck his own pose for the last part.

_(Victor: Groovy!)_

The room erupted with laughter and cheering then while Oksana scrambled through the few English songs to find "Primadonna" by Marina and the Diamonds so that she could go next.

"Let's have Yuura and Vitya do a duet afterwards," she suggested, grinning when she finally found her song.

"What?" asked Yuuri, a little startled at the idea. He held his hands up in front of his face with a nervous smile.

"Or better yet. Why don't you serenade me, Yuuri?" Victor asked enthusiastically.

Alexei chuckled a little with an intrigued raised eyebrow while Sergei gasped. "That would be so romantic~!" swooned the giant.

"It would be adorable!" Hiroko exclaimed, laying a hand on her cheek.

"Aw, c'mon guys!" laughed Yuuri shyly.

"Do it, Yuuri!" his father said in an encouraging voice. "It'll be just like when I serenaded you mom."

" _You_ serenaded mom?!" asked Mari with both amusement and disbelief. The idea alone was enough to make her forget her embarrassing performance. Hiroko sighed contently at the memory, turning a little pink with joy.

"I'll tell you kids about it later," grinned Toshiya as Oksana took her place on stage.

In all of the mirth of the evening, the serenade suggestion was forgotten after Yulia finally decided she wanted a turn much to everyone's surprise and she treated them to her own rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" (which was most likely only even on the playlist because of its association with Neon Genesis Evangelion). Everyone cheered her on just as they had for the others, but Alexei was noticeably more supportive during this performance, singing along from where he sat, most likely because he knew more than anyone that her sudden willingness was a sign of her growing comfort in this new country and around these new people.

"Brava! Brava!" shouted Alexei, his normally soft voice nearly rivaling Sergei's in its intensity, and Yulia bowed appreciatively at her audience.

At the end of the night, the Nikiforovs and the Katsukis ate Korean barbecue at a place near the karaoke bar before heading back to Yu-Topia Katsuki to settle in. Sergei and Oksana turned in early as they were more accustomed to doing and Yulia followed suit. Vladimir was a little more rested after his nap and, along with his wife, challenged Toshiya, Hiroko and Victor (who'd been roped into it since he just happened to be passing by) to a friendly game of poker before bed. Mari and Ivanna ended up chatting just outside of the building, smoking cigarettes and laughing at each others' jokes. Yuuri didn't see where Eclipse went, but that was pretty normal for her. She must have been around somewhere.

Since Victor was a little busy re-engaging in his life-long endeavor to beat his poker champion father at his own game once and for all, Yuuri decided he'd take a quick dip in the springs alone before going to bed. Even an athlete like him was tired after walking the whole day, but he was all sweaty and needed a shower anyway, so it didn't seem like a bad idea to wash up and then sit in the relaxing hot spring for a while. He just hoped Victor wouldn't take too long with his poker game. Maybe he could still join him.

After he had cleaned himself, Yuuri stretched his arms above his head and let out a yawn as he walked toward the door which lead to the spring. Sliding the glass door open, he realized he could just barely make out the figure of another person in the low fog above the water. Apparently, he wasn't the first one to have this idea. He squinted as the mist combined with the fact that he wasn't wearing his glasses made it very hard to make out the features of the other person until they spoke and he recognized the other man immediately.

"Ah, Yuuri," said Alexei, turning to him when he heard the door open. "Come to have a soak?"

"Yeah," replied Yuuri, shielding his modesty slightly as he lowered himself into the warm water. He was already quite used to being nude in front of Victor, but it wasn't entirely the same with other men. Even growing up at an onsen and thus constantly living around naked strangers didn't necessarily make him any more willing to expose himself in front of just anyone. But he was comfortable enough in the spring with his boyfriend's older brother anyway. "I thought it might be nice before bed."

Alexei nodded understandingly and then let out a content little sigh as he rolled his head back onto the rocks behind him. "'I love the magic of a hot bath, how time pauses and every grievance melts away' – Richelle E. Goodrich."

Unsure of what to do with that information but not wanting things to be awkward, Yuuri nodded before he spoke. "Who's that?"

"Richelle E. Goodrich? She's an American author and novelist. She's quite good."

"Oh," replied Yuuri, sinking a little further into the water. "I guess I'll have to look her up some time."

"Yeah, you should," said the slim Russian, still staring up at the night sky as he spoke.

The bath was silent for only a minute, but it felt like a lifetime to the younger Japanese man. It was always so easy to be around Victor even when things got quiet. Even some of the other Nikiforovs were starting to feel more and more comfortable to sit next to. But Alexei was different. He didn't seem to be an unfriendly guy at all, but there was still this distance that Yuuri could sense about him. His twin sister felt like that as well, but to a lesser extent, and her actions at the karaoke bar proved that she was making an effort to step closer, but it seemed that Alexei on the other hand would not budge. _What could be the reason for it?_ Yuuri wondered. Was it possible that he disliked Yuuri? Did Yuuri do something offensive and not realize it? Or was Alexei always that distant? Perhaps Yuuri was just making more of it than he should have. It was hard to tell. Alexei seemed to have inherited an air of constant annoyance even when he was not displeased at all from his father but without the resting angry face. Sometimes, however, he did seem more approachable than others. This was not one of those times.

"Yuuri," said Alexei, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"What's up?"

"I was wondering..." he sat up then to shift his gaze toward the younger man. "I'm sure you know that most athletes don't compete forever. What are you plans for the future?"

Yuuri was quiet for a second. He didn't expect the feather haired man to ask such a heavy question. Alexei could sense his discomfort and recanted slightly.

"I'm sorry if that's a little too forward," he said quickly. "I can understand if you're uncomfortable answering that. We did only just meet after all."

"Ah, no. It's fine." It did feel like a little much, but Yuuri didn't want to create any animosity between he and any of the Nikiforovs if he could avoid it. "I've been thinking about what I'll do once I'm finished and I'm not entirely sure yet. There's always the option of coaching someone else, but I don't know just yet."

For a split second, Alexei seemed to deflate just a little before regaining his composure, but the action didn't escape Yuuri's sight. "Oh, I see." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Well that's perfectly fine. You're still young after all and Vitya said you don't plan on retiring for a while, so there's still time."

Yuuri sat back, a tad uncomfortable. Why did it sound more like Alexei was trying to convince himself rather than Yuuri?

Alexei decided he'd turn in not long after, leaving Yuuri to ponder their interaction before Victor sulked in, having lost to his father yet again. Everyone in the Katsuki dwelling was washed and in their beds just before the clock stuck eleven. At ten thirty, Alexei was just getting into bed with his wife, who was fluffing up her pillows behind her while he ranted.

"I don't know. I just... It's not that Yuuri isn't a nice boy," he said, his chin resting on his knees which were underneath the duvet. "He turned out to be quite a lot more down to Earth than I thought anyone who would pole dance at a formal career-related event could be. I just need to know that Vitya will be taken care of when I'm not around. At least I was sure Ilya could do that."

Eclipse sighed and turned to her husband, her dark makeup gone from her face and making her look quite plain in comparison to her usual look. Her mouth opened and her lips moved then. Her voice came out in a low whisper, imperceptible to most people, but perfectly intelligible to Alexei.

"I know, I know he's an adult," replied the Russian man. "It's just so hard not to worry about him. I've spent my whole life just constantly being concerned for Vitya's safety and I know that's unhealthy, but..." he sighed, shoulders falling at his sides. "Sometimes, I really wonder how it is that Yulia who never speaks to anymore ended up getting better at this than I did."

His wife spoke again in her low mumble which most people might have mistook for breathing.

"You're right," said Alexei quietly. "Maybe she just spent the time that I spent talking actually _thinking_ about the situation."

Eclipse muttered again, reaching over to kiss Alexei's temple before turning out her lamp and laying her head upon her pillow.

Alexei chuckled softly. "By the way, why do you call them that? Why do you call Vitya Kubuś Puchatek and Yuuri Prosiaczek?"

The woman beside him turned and flashed him a quick smile, her mouth moving ever so slightly again.

"They remind you of them? I don't know... Vitya reminds me more of Tygrys than Kubuś Puchatek."

Eclipse shrugged and bid him goodnight in her voice that was barely a whisper. Alexei smiled back and situated himself in the bed. "Good night, mi amore. Pleasant dreams."

* * *

_Translations_

* * *

– vypusknоi vechеr – the evening of graduation

– Akademiya Devy Marii – Academy of the Virgin Mary

– ema – a wooden plaque where people write their wishes and hang them up in hopes that the gods will see them and grant them

– mi amore – my love

* * *

The song in this chapter was the English release of "Koi wa Groovy x2" by Yuna Ito (although she released it under the name Christine Ito...).


	8. Fun with Tygrys and Kłapouchy

Second chapter for Friday, as promised~:3

* * *

_Fun with Tygrys and Kłapouchy_

* * *

Sunlight radiated in through the wide window of his hotel room, tickling his eyelashes and waking him up almost immediately. His eyes fluttering open, he stared at the white textured ceiling above him. With a yawn, he counted the few days he had been on this island so far. Perhaps today would be the day.

He swung his long legs over the side of the hotel queen sized bed and retrieved his phone from his pocket. No luck so far with those locations circled on his map, but he wasn't worried. He could spend forever searching if he had to.

* * *

The day was Monday, or day three of the Nikiforov family reunion vacation, and the group had gotten quite lost in the shopping district of Saga, a city near Hasetsu. Victor was texting his missing relatives while Yuuri tried to peer above the crowd, one hand held against his forehead as if to elongate his line of sight. Sergei was with them, using his height to more effectively survey the crowd, and Makkachin stood close to his owner almost protectively. The city had been busier than they anticipated and the moment the group arrived, everyone separated into their own little teams to find what interested them most. The four parents went off to admire the pottery and other wares that were on sale. Ivanna pulled Oksana and Mari along with her to see what types of fashions they would find in this city. Alexei, Eclipse, and Yulia had noticed some souvenirs they thought were interesting and went in search of more. That left Yuuri, Victor, Sergei, and Makkachin to buy and sample some of the local snack foods, but it was almost time for everyone to meet again and no one else had yet shown up.

Sergei swayed this way and that way impatiently, passers by making sure to back away lest they get easily knocked over. "Where are they? What if we're late?"

"It's okay if we're a little late," said Yuuri, his eyes still searching for tufts of grey-white hair among the sea of mostly brown and black. "But we should still have lunch before the fiesta."

Sergei sighed dreamily at the mention of the event they planned on attending that afternoon. "Yuura, I've never gone to a balloon fiesta. What is it like?"

Sergei, of course, was referring to the Saga International Balloon Fiesta, something which Yuuri had gone to multiple times as a child. He hadn't been in years, but from what he could remember, the hot air balloon fiesta was a ballooning competition which took place along the Kase River. Yuuri never really understood the competitive aspects of the festival, but he'd always associated it with good memories.

"It's been a long time since I've gone, but I remember it was pretty amazing," explained Yuuri, giving up his search temporarily to pet Makkachin's furry head. "It's just nice to sit by the river and watch all the balloons flying in the air."

"It sounds so magical," Sergei sighed happily, even his softest voice able to be heard over the bustling crowd. "Imagine flying through the air like that in the basket just sitting upon the breeze as you drift softly past the people and trees and hills..."

"You're such a romantic, big brother," chuckled Victor, looking up from his cellphone and up toward the giant behind him.

"Life is much sweeter when tinted rose, little one," Sergei smiled back.

Yuuri decided he should resume searching then, placing his hand back where it was against his forehead and standing on his tip toes. He still couldn't locate his family nor the missing Nikiforovs, but Yuuri suddenly got the distinct feeling of eyes on his back. He turned only to see neither Sergei nor Victor nor seemingly anyone else looking back at him. The other members of his trio were were both analyzing the sea of people rushing this way and that and as for the crowd, most of them seemed to be too engrossed in their own business to pay the raven haired figure skater much attention. Yuuri's dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He could have sworn that someone was looking at him – staring. His brown eyes scanned the area for his unknown observer and he was about to give up after a few seconds before he heard a woman scream loudly.

"Yurachka!"

Victor and Sergei turned quickly in the direction where a surprised Yuuri was staring and all three witnessed Anastasia run up and hug the blond Russian teen, who nearly jumped at the sound of his nickname before almost being toppled over in the old woman's embrace. Beside him was a tall dark-haired man who was no doubt Otabek Atlin, but his back was turned so Yuuri couldn't be entirely sure. The cheerful old lady finally released Yurio and began speaking to him, but as they were still a ways away, Yuuri could only watch their mouths open and close in a speech-like rhythm. The Japanese skater wore a concerned look briefly, as he was sure that the boy he called Yurio would not take kindly to be practically glomped like that, but he was surprised to see the teenager looking rather pleasantly at Mrs. Nikiforov. The Katsuki parents followed close behind and greeted Yuri Plisetsky with their own short, friendly hugs. Then Vladimir hobbled over and presumably said his own salutation before happily giving the teenager a hearty slap on the back that almost knocked him over. Yuuri again expected him to lash out, but when the boy settled himself, his body language seemed as meek and polite as before. For a second, Yuuri couldn't decide whether or not that was really the same Yuri Plisetsky he knew or if he and the older adults had been merely mistaken. But then, the dark-haired young man turned a little to shake everyone's hands cordially, allowing Yuuri a closer look at his face. Stoic expression, dark undercut, piercing eyes – that was definitely Otabek, and so the blond must have been Yuri.

"Is that Yurio?" Victor grinned widely.

"Hey, Yurachka!" called Sergei so loudly that Yuuri could swear the sound made a few of the people near him vibrate. He seemed not to notice this, however, as he waved his iron arm in the air to get Yuri P.'s attention.

"Yurachka? Where?" Suddenly, Ivanna appeared behind the three men with Oksana and Mari on either side, all three carrying various shopping bags.

"Yuri Plisetsky is here?" From Yuuri's left, Yulia entered with Alexei and Eclipse, their bags full of all the trinkets they'd bought.

Before long, a red-faced Yuri Plisetsky was pulled arm-in-arm toward the meeting place by a dancing Anastasia with Otabek walking only about a foot away. The teen's genteel mask suddenly slipped when he saw Yuuri, and he had some trouble returning the Japanese man's gaze without glaring. So _Y_ _urio_ was the one staring at him. He wouldn't have been trying to cover his embarrassment with aggression if he weren't. Yuuri, who was used to such behaviour and thus totally unphazed by it, gave him a friendly smile in return.

"Yurio, it's so nice to see you!" the Japanese skater exclaimed.

"And you too, Otabek!" Victor added.

"Oh uh," Yuri muttered. "Yeah, hi."

"Thank you," said Otabek. Even though he was the one surrounded by mostly strangers, he was clearly feeling much less uncomfortable than his blond friend. "It's nice to see you both again too. And it's a pleasure to meet you all."

"So you know the Nikiforovs?" Yuuri asked the Russian teenager as he was clearly acquainted with them.

Before he could answer, Victor spoke instead. "Oh yeah! My family knows all of my old rinkmates~"

"We knew little Yurachka ever since he first came to St. Petersburg!" Sergei exclaimed happily. "Oh I remember those days..."

As the adults spoke, Otabek listened, but his attention wandered back to Yuri beside him. The two of them decided a long time ago that they would go on vacation in the off-season and Otabek had suspected when his friend suggested Kyushu that he secretly wished the run into the skating world's favourite same-gender couple while they were there. It was clear from what happened less than twenty minutes ago that a part of him wanted to visit them, to run over and say hi, to ask how they'd been and tell them all about his life since they returned home, to essentially acknowledge that he liked and even missed them. However, Yurio's ego wouldn't allow him to be direct about it, so when he suddenly recognized Yuuri in the crowd, he froze in place as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to turn in the other direction, walk right up to him, or simply hide.

"Pochemu by vam ne prosto poyti i skazat' 'privet'?" Otabek could remember himself asking gently. _Why don't you just go and say "hi"?_

Yuri sighed in frustration. "Beka, ya..." _Beka, I..._ He couldn't answer. So they stood there, the items they'd bought that day in bags that hung on their sides, Otabek wanting to help but feeling afraid of forcing Yuri to get over his obvious anxiety rather than actually coming to his aid. The teenager was so afraid of being rejected by others that it made him keep his distance even though Victor and Yuuri would have definitely welcomed him with open arms. Otabek could see it so clearly because he used to be that way himself. Truth be told, the Kazakhstani skater was relieved when silver-haired Mrs. Nikiforov rushed over to embrace his friend and give him an excuse to come over. Now that they were there, he just had to help Yuri to stop acting like it was such a crime to be caught in the act of caring.

"Really? You knew Yuri since then?" Otabek asked, trying to keep them there longer by continuing the conversation. Yuri gave him a questioning glance as if to ask what exactly he was up to. Otabek's sudden social behaviour didn't escape Yuuri K.'s notice as he'd known the younger figure skater to be more of a loner.

"Oh of course!" Victor said.

"I'd like to hear those stories," said Mari with a playful glance at Yurio, who only scowled back.

"Huh...?" he said under his breath at the mention of his childhood tales. He was starting to relax a little bit.

"Hey so are you two by any chance here for the fiesta?" asked Yuuri. He didn't quite know was Otabek was planning, but he wanted to hang out with Yurio so he tried to make the other boy's job easier.

Yuri was about to say they weren't although truth be told, they had been debating all day about whether or not they wanted to go, but Otabek answered before he could say anything.

"Yeah, we were going to check it out," he said in that same calm way with which he says almost everything. Yuri "huh"ed again and stared at his friend. Otabek himself had said before that he wasn't feeling up to going, but now he was suddenly interested? What the hell had gotten into him?

"Perfect!" exclaimed Oksana. "Then we can all go together!"

"... All of us?" Yurio asked.

"Of course!" said Toshiya. "In fact, you two can join us for lunch and we can all catch up."

"Yes, please to join us," Vladimir said from about where Yuri's ribs were. It was meant to be a simple request, but his gravelly voice made it sound almost like a command.

And with that, Yurio had the excuse he didn't even fully realize he wanted. The group plus their two new recruits decided on American style hamburgers for lunch and made their way over to the trendy establishment. The staff was a little surprised to see such a huge group of foreigners (plus the four native visitors), but they did their best to accommodate everyone by moving the largest tables together.

With only the addition of the Russian and Kazakhstani skater, the table was much busier than it had been in the Katsuki household. Alexei, Ivanna, Oksana, and Sergei were exchanging stories of their shopping adventures while Yulia listened with interest. Anastasia, Hiroko and Toshiya were doing their best to get to know Otabek while Victor and Yuuri watched intently. Yurio tried to pay attention, but he kept getting distracted by Eclipse, grinning and looking around with her dark beady eyes while taking pictures between bites of her burger. Vladimir was a quiet eater and preferred to just listen while he carefully chewed. Makkachin, who Victor had charmed the manager into allowing inside, was enjoying the three plain burger patties he was given. He really shouldn't have been hungry, but it was a well known fact that Victor spoiled the dog, so he begged the white-haired man for his hamburger until Victor turned on the charm again to fetch him his own patties. That manager must have really been quite smitten with him, Yuuri thought, but having been exposed to Victor's charisma himself, he could certainly understand. Meanwhile, the conversation at the table continued.

"So what brings you to Saga, Yurio?" asked Mrs. Katsuki, taking a french fry in her hand absently.

"Beka-" Yuri paused and flushed a little before continuing. A grin spread across Victor's face before he took another sip out of the Pepsi can between his fingers. No one had ever heard Yuri's affectionate little nickname for his friend before. " _Otabek_ and I just wanted to go on vacation for a while."

"Well that sounds like fun," said Anastasia. "I'm a little surprised you didn't decide to go to Tokyo, Yurachka."

"U-uh..." the teen trailed off.

"Yeah actually," Yuuri realized, thinking then of the big city and places like Shibuya where there was animal print galore to cater to the local gyaru population. "I thought that'd be totally up your alley."

"It was very expensive," Otabek explained. Really, he was just saving Yurio from having to admit that he hoped to run into Victor and Yuuri. That was the second excuse the teen had been handed that day.

"Ah, I see," Anastasia nodded and then took another bite of her cheesebuger.

"It does get pretty pricey up there," said Toshiya, remembering when he last visited the metropolis. He didn't notice that his wife's attention was elsewhere until she said something.

"What are you two laughing at?" Hiroko half-giggled at Alexei and Eclipse. Yuuri turned to see the couple staring back at him. He suddenly felt very anxious under their gaze, remembering that talk he'd had in the bath with the husband, and in his nervousness he didn't realize that they were also looking at Victor, Yurio, and Otabek. Eclipse backed away from Alexei's ear which she had been whispering into as if she'd been caught.

"Oh, well," Alexei started to explain. "You see, Eclipse doesn't usually call people by their names. She gives them nicknames, if you will, based on what that person means in her life so..." he paused, hoping none of the four would be offended by what he was about to say. "We were just laughing about the nicknames she came up with," he said before quickly adding, "They aren't bad or anything."

"Nicknames?" Otabek asked.

"What nicknames...?" Yurio added, feeling a little annoyed that this strange woman who had been peering around and taking photos without permission was whispering about him right in front of him. She didn't mean to be rude – actually, Eclipse had selective mutism which made it hard to talk to those outside of a small group of few – but he didn't know that.

"Well, for example," the fairy-like Russian man continued. "She's named Yuuri Prosiaczek and Vitya Kubuś Puchatek."

Yuuri turned to Victor then, expecting him to understand but finding him instead looking quite confused. "What does that mean?" Yuuri asked his boyfriend anyway.

"I don't know," said Victor. "It's in Polish, right?"

"Eh, yes," Alexei replied. "It um... I'm not sure how to say it in English... Um, Prosiaczek is Pyatachok and Kubuś Puchatek is Vinni-Pukh."

Victor burst out laughing at that. Otabek smiled slightly and Yurio just gave Yuuri a bit of a mocking grin.

" _Ya_ Vinni-Pukh?" Victor giggled, pointing at himself as Alexei nodded sheepishly.

"Vinny Pu? What does that mean?" Yuuri asked curiously.

Victor stopped laughing and thought to himself, looking to Otabek and Yurio for help. "Uhh... What is it in English?"

"It's like... That little bear," said Yurio. Otabek pulled out his smartphone and began typing something in.

"A bear?" Yuuri was still confused. "You mean like Yogi Bear?"

"No, not him," said Victor, still thinking.

Suddenly, Otabek held up his phone to show a picture of Winnie the Pooh on google images. "This one."

" _Winnie the Pooh_?!" Yuuri chortled, his parents giggling with him. "Wait, why is Vicchan Winnie the Pooh?"

"Because of his happy predisposition," explained Alexei. "... And because he hangs out with Pyatachok."

"Which one is that?"

Otabek already had a new photo up on his phone, this time, it was a picture of Piglet. Yuuri's parents laughed even harder while Yuuri stared with amused disbelief.

"Is that _me_?"

Victor's older brother shrugged while his wife smiled broadly beside him. "Eclipse believes so."

"So what about those two?" Yuuri was referring to Otabek and Yurio, the latter of which had stopped snickering when he remembered that he wasn't excluded from this.

Alexei pointed at Yurio, "Tygrys...", then at Otabek, "...and Kłapouchy. Or, Tigrulya and Ia-Ia."

One of Otabek's eyebrows raised in confusion while Yurio went from amused to annoyed in less than half a second.

"HUH?!" the teenager exclaimed. Victor fell back in his seat, clutching his stomach with hardy laughter. Anastasia had to stop chewing entirely to keep herself from choking as she giggled. Vladimir only snickered from his place beside his wife.

"Who are those then?" asked Hiroko.

Slowly, Otabek brought up a picture of Tigger. "Tigrulya," he explained. Then he, almost reluctantly, showed them a picture of Eeyore. "Ia-Ia."

Most of the participants in the conversation were laughing now except for Yurio and Otabek, the latter of which who was slowly beginning to crack a smile despite himself.

"Why the hell am _I_ Tigrulya?!" demanded Yurio, forgetting his manners completely.

Eclipse grinned and her gaze fell to the tiger hoodie he was wearing under his faux fur lined jacket paired with the leopard pattern on his shoes. Clearly, the kid was into animal print, especially when it came to big cats. The boy caught her gaze and flushed red, feeling a small touch of shame at the fact that she'd figured him out so easily after only having known him for a little over an hour.

Once their lunch was over, all they needed to do was walk for ten minutes over to Kase River for the Balloon Fiesta. Yuuri ended up walking beside Otabek while Victor was strolling ahead of them with Yurio and Makkachin. He seemed to be saying something to the teen that was bothersome to him, but Yuuri could just barely hear.

"Are you excited for the fiesta, _Tigrulya_?" Yuuri thought he heard Victor ask teasingly.

"Don't call me Tigrulya, damn it!"

"Aw, but then I can't call your friend Ia-Ia!" Victor's heart-shaped grin took on a bit of a sinister look then – the type an older sibling might display when mocking a younger sibling – and he leaned closer to Yurio before he spoke again quietly. "Or it is okay if _I_ call him _Beka_ too?"

Yuuri heard the teenager growl before all but pouncing on Victor. Yurio had changed since they last saw him – his body seemed fuller and his shoulders more broad – but he was still smaller than the grey-haired man and thus wasn't able to knock him over when he jumped onto his giggling former rinkmate. Makkachin wagged his tail and barked at them as they play fought, standing on his hind legs and leaning on Victor as if to try to join in.

"Zatknis', ty bol'shoy mudak!" Yurio shouted. "Ya nenavizhu tebya!"

"Ty tak znachit, Yurio!" Victor chortled loudly.

Yuuri heard a small laugh at his side, and turned to make sure Otabek was still walking beside him. Of course, he found the younger skater was indeed still there and that the laugh had come from him. He was regarding the duo's banter warmly which was something Yuuri didn't expect.

"You know, we weren't originally planning on going to this festival."

Otabek spoke and Yuuri didn't expect it, so his body jumped just a tiny bit. "But I sort of decided on the spot when you asked if we were going too."

"Really? Why's that?" the Japanese man inquired.

"Yuri would never tell you this himself," Otabek continued. "But he misses you and Victor. If it were up to him, he'd have just gone back to the hotel today and wished he'd stayed with you all longer. This way, he gets to spend time with you without feeling embarrassed."

Now Yuuri understood what that warm look was about because he was now wearing it himself. "Aw, Otabek... Well, we missed him too. And you can tell him I said that if you want to."

The Kazakhstani skater let out a small laugh under his breath.

Soon the group was sitting by the riverbank on a very large picnic blanket, watching big round hot air balloons fill with gas as the heating element ignited and set them off to float majestically into the sky. The heavens above them were filled with different colours and shapes and patterns shining against the November sun. There was applause and cheering from everyone around them and many foreigners were singing their praise in English as the balloons flew past them overhead. Flashes went off from Eclipse's direction and Alexei tried to remember all of the colors as he thought of how he would paint this scene once he got back to the inn. Sergei could barely contain himself and even Yurio looked a little dreamy when Otabek checked on him. The older boy was feeling better and better about his split-second decision from earlier.

"Wow, they're so cool!" Oksana exclaimed.

"So many," said Vladimir.

"This does seem like more than the last time we were here," Toshiya commented.

" _Way_ more," added Mari.

Yuuri saw Yulia, sitting prim and proper on top of folded legs, sigh contently before leaning affectionately on her older sister. Ivanna looked back at her and placed her arm over her younger sister's shoulders as she watched the sky.

"You and I in a little toy shop buy a bag of the balloons with the money we've got," Ivanna sang quietly as if she were singing a lullaby, but her voice, clear as a bell from years of singing opera, rang out and was heard by all on the blanket. "Set them free at the break of dawn 'til one by one, they were gone."

Sergei let out a loud gasp. "I know that song!"

"Of course you do!" Ivanna chuckled. "Everyone knows this song~"

"Back at base, bugs in the software flash the message, 'something's out there'," Yulia continued in her tiny little voice.

Ivanna laughed before singing with her. "Floating in the summer sky, ninety-nine red balloons go by."

Yurio was looking over his shoulder at them as the two families began to clap for the little impromptu performance. Soon, the fiesta was over and everyone helped to pack up the blanket. Once they got back to the sidewalk, Yurio and Otabek stood in front of the two families to say their goodbyes.

"Are you sure won't be coming with us?" asked Anastasia. "We're going to a tea house!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Nikiforov," said Yuri P. politely. "But we've actually already gone, and we planned some other things for this evening."

Anastasia pouted slightly and looked to Yuuri a lot like Victor when he didn't get what he wanted. "Oh well. It was nice meeting your boys anyway."

"Yuuri, you have my phone number," said Otabek. "Send me a text message and we can all go out for dinner on Friday if you're not busy."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" chirped Victor. "We'll text you then."

The families said their goodbyes as the two boys turned, waving back at them as they walked away. Despite his attempts to cover it, Yuri seemed very pleased with the way the day had turned out.

* * *

According to the itinerary, the group was to visit Kakurintei Tea House before piling back into a bus, grabbing a bite to eat, and then finishing the evening at the Hasetsu Kunchi festival. Then, they would head back to Yu-Topia Katsuki to wake up bright and early on Tuesday and check-in to the hotel they booked for two days in Fukuoka, a major city and metropolis of Kyushu. It was a lot to pack into just a few hours, but they were determined to make the most of this trip.

After a relaxing evening drinking tea and taking in the peaceful sights of the surrounding Japanese style garden, the group had switched gears completely for the loud, energetic atmosphere of the festival in Hasetsu. A parade of large traditional floats bearing samurai, dragons, inari foxes, and sea beams being pulled along by bands of men chanting "En-ya! En-ya!" to the beat of taiko drums sped by the cheering crowd just outside of Morikawa Inari Shrine. The Nikiforovs and the Katsukis were clapping along, some wearing the animal masks they'd bought as souvenirs. Yuuri was watching the elaborate floats when Victor, wearing his white fox mask to one side of his head, tapped him on the shoulder and whispered into his ear.

"I'm going to go find the washroom, okay?" said Victor.

"I'll come with you," Yuuri replied, suddenly realizing he also had to go. Victor nodded and took his hand, letting Alexei know where they were going before they left.

The crowd was denser than the one in Saga that morning and kept threatening to break Yuuri and Victor apart. Yuuri did his best to hold on and his boyfriend's grip tightened around his hand, but a sudden wave of people caused them both to come apart abruptly. Yuuri saw Victor turn back toward him before completely losing sight of the starlight-haired man in the crowd.

 _Great_ , Yuuri thought, an irritated expression crossing his features. _Now I've lost him_.

"Vicchan!" the raven-haired skater called out, cupping his hands on either side of his mouth to amplify his voice. "Vicchan, where are you?"

He walked forward in the direction where he'd seen Victor last, gently pushing past a few people and muttering apologies as he went. He searched around with his eyes, looking for just a flash of grey before he finally found it. "Vicchan!" he said triumphantly before making his way in the direction of Victor's back.

Finally, Yuuri caught up to the Russian and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I found you!" he exclaimed.

But Victor didn't seem as enthusiastic. "Huh?" he said, turning to see Yuuri's face before relaxing. "Oh, Yuuri. It's you." Yuuri raised one confused dark eyebrow. Why did he seem a little worried just then?

Curious, Yuuri turned his gaze in the direction of where Victor was staring before and realized that there was a dark-haired man walking away from them. The Russian skater looked at the man's retreating back and watched with the same concern on his face as the figure disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

_Translations_

* * *

– Otabek: "Pochemu by vam ne prosto poyti i skazat' 'privet'?" – Why don't you just go and say "hi"?

– Yuri: "Beka, ya..." – Beka, I...

– Yuri: "Zatknis', ty bol'shoy mudak! Ya nenavizhu tebya!" – Shut up, you big asshole! I hate you!

– Victor: "Ty tak znachit, Yurio!" – You're so mean, Yurio!

* * *

The song Ivanna and Yulia were singing was 99 Red Balloons by Nena and this chapter's title means "Fun with Tigger and Eeyore". xD

Please remember to review if you have the time! ^^ I actually have a few questions I'd like to ask my readers if y'all are up to answering...

\- Who is your favourite OC thus far? Why?

\- Favourite scene? Why?

\- Favourite chapter? Why?

\- Any constructive criticism?

\- Any suggestions?

\- How bad is my Russian? LOL (I use Google Translate for everything...)

You don't need to answer all of them if you don't want to... Actually, you don't even really have to answer any of them, but it would be appreciated. :) Thanks!


	9. Victor!!! en Pointe / Hockey Night in Kyushu

Hello, all! Here's the first chapter for Saturday. I meant to post this in the morning, but my morning ended up being busier than I expected. ^^; Anyway, enjoy!

**ValentineSin13** \- Thanks for your feedback! :) Oh my God, I would LOVE for Anastasia and Hiroko (and Ivanna too since she has two daughters who I wasn't able to really fit into the story...) being the Adorable Moms Squad. LOL 

* * *

_Victor!!! en Pointe / Hockey Night in Kyushu_

* * *

"... Vicchan?"

The two men had only been standing there staring at the strange foreigner's retreating back for seconds, but it felt like hours. The other people in the crowd seemed to disappear completely and the only things that existed were Yuuri, Victor, and the mysterious stranger.

"Vicchan, who was that?" asked Yuuri, his hand still on his boyfriend's shoulder. It was then that Yuuri noticed a small piece of white paper in Victor's hand with some sort of writing on it.

"That was him," Victor said quietly, his gaze still fixed upon the spot where the foreigner had disappeared from. "That was my ex-fiancé."

* * *

"You saw _Ilya_?!" Alexei asked, nearly spitting out the water he was drinking in the process.

That night, the two families returned home exhausted from all of the walking and excitement from that day, but little did they know that more surprises were yet to come. While the other Katsukis were preparing for bed, Yuuri met with Victor and his siblings to tell them what happened to him on the way to the washroom that night.

Sitting on the edge of the bed he shared with Yuuri, Victor nodded, staring at the floor. "Yes. He's here in Hasetsu."

The siblings looked at each other, unsure of how to react.

"Well... what did he say?" asked Ivanna hesitantly.

"He acted pretty normal, actually," explained Victor, meeting Ivanna's gaze. "He asked me how things were and he told me he was here on a poetry retreat. Then he said we should meet somewhere to catch up and I told him I was in a relationship, so he said that that was fine. He said he was over me and just wanted to be friends."

"Oh," Ivanna replied, still not knowing exactly what to say.

"Well... that's good then," said Alexei, who was standing by the door with his arms folded in front of him. The sound of his voice made it clear that he was trying to be careful with his words.

"How do you feel about this?" Sergei asked with a concerned look on his face that Yuuri hadn't ever seen from the jolly giant.

"I don't know..." admitted the youngest Nikiforov. "I guess I'm glad that he forgives me..."

The room was quiet and one question was burning in Yuuri's gut. He hesitated to speak, but if he said nothing, he was afraid that his confusion would bore a hole in him.

"Forgive you for what?"

Victor looked at him, a rather guiltful look in his eyes. The platinum blond rested his head in his left hand, elbow leaning on his knee, before he responded. "Yuuri... _sigh_. You see, I was the one who broke off the engagement, but it was over the phone and on the night that I met you."

Yuuri's eyes widened a little in shock. He'd known thanks in part to the press that Victor ended his relationship with his ex some time between their meeting and him returning to Hasetsu, but he had no idea that it had happened the very same night when he'd unknowingly seduced his childhood hero. After all this time, it turned out that _he_ was the one who had broken Victor's previous engagement. Well, that's not entirely right. He was merely part of the motivation. Victor was still the one who make the decision. Still, it was a surprise to Yuuri all the same.

Victor continued. "I don't regret breaking it off. I didn't really love him, but I wasn't aware of that until I met you. So, ending it really was the best thing... I'm just not proud of the _way_ I did it – over the phone and after I'd already been publicly flirting with another man. I look back and I always think that I should have broke up with him way before the competition, but I guess I had no idea that I'd fall in love for real." Victor sighed again. "Anyway, it was all my decision, so please don't feel like any of that was your fault."

Yuuri sat back in his place beside his boyfriend and let the revelation sink in. So many things were clicking in his head at once that it was a little overwhelming. This was why Victor wasn't his normal enthusiastic self all evening. The encounter must have unearthed memories of a guilt he'd sought to forget. This was why he never wanted to share too much about his last relationship. He was probably worried about what Yuuri might think of him knowing how coldly he had treated someone else. Knowing Yuuri's lack of confidence, Victor probably didn't want to instill doubt in their budding relationship before it had a chance to bloom. Speaking of having faith in their romance, this must have been why Alexei and Yulia seemed a little distant at times. Most likely, they held a little scepticism for this relationship seeing how their brother's last one ended as abruptly as his interest in Yuuri began.

"I had no idea," Yuuri said, placing a hand on Victor's back comfortingly. "But your ex said he forgives you, so maybe it's okay not to feel bad anymore. You're still a good person, Vicchan – I know it – you just made a mistake."

Victor met his gaze and smiled at him after a second. What a relief that Yuuri's opinion of him wasn't about to change over an error in judgement he made in the past. "Thank you, Yuuri."

Sergei, Ivanna, and even Yulia wore expressions that showed they were quite satisfied with the scene before them. Alexei looked thoughtful.

"So was that all?" the fae-like Nikiforov twin asked with a raised snowy eyebrow. "He just came to say hi?"

"Well, he asked what we were up to tomorrow and I told him we were going to Fukuoka. He said he would be there next too and he insisted that he take us around for old times' sake. I couldn't really say no..."

The room was silent as the others quietly digested this new information and then looked at each other as if searching for instruction on what they were supposed to do next. Ivanna tried to put on a happy face, not really knowing what her next plan of action was.

"Well, maybe that'll be fun!" she said, trying to look on the bright side. "After all, he says he's over everything and there's no reason why you can't be friends with your exes."

"Th-that's true!" added Alexei. "I'm still friends with a lot of my exes."

"Vitya, we'll follow whatever you want to do," said Yulia. "It sounds like Ilya's okay with just friendship, so now you need to decide. Do you want to be his friend?"

Victor looked around at his siblings, then his gaze fell on Yuuri. The Japanese man did nothing at first until he realized that his boyfriend was trying to guess what _his_ feelings were about the situation. Truth be told, Yuuri didn't quite know how he felt. He was still a little shocked at the fact that the charms he didn't realize he had were part of what pushed Victor to end his relationship with this strange man, and even though this would indicate that Victor clearly favoured him, Yuuri still felt a small pang of jealousy toward Ilya for ever having been able to enjoy Victor's presence the way he currently does. There was an unreasonably emotional side of Yuuri who wanted to demand Ilya to explain how he dared to ever once experience the utter happiness that Yuuri felt when Victor would arrive at home, the warm calm that washed over Yuuri when Victor showered his affection upon him, the sheer joy that nearly moved Yuuri to tears when Victor would tell him how proud he was of his accomplishments. But another part of Yuuri, a more sensible side, was scolding him for being so possessive, for calling his trust in Victor into question, and was lecturing him about how he shouldn't let his own insecurities bind his partner. That part of him won over and Yuuri put on a reassuring smile.

"I feel the same way as Yulia," he said. "I'll support whatever you decide to do."

In response, Victor nodded and laid his head on Yuuri's shoulder. "Okay," he muttered.

After saying their good nights, the older Nikiforov siblings made their way to their own bedrooms to catch some sleep. Victor got into bed with Yuuri and immediately took the other man in a tight embrace, resting his head on Yuuri's firm chest to listen to his heartbeat. Yuuri wrapped his arms around the Russian man's body reassuringly, his right hand curling over the side of his neck and fingers stroking his hair affectionately. Victor always seemed to search for comfort like this when he went to bed with something heavy weighing on his mind.

"Good night, Yuuri," Victor murmured into the dark as Makkachin took his position at the foot of the bed.

"Good night," Yuuri responded, leaning upward slightly to kiss Victor on the top of his head and causing the man in his arms to smile against him.

The room was quiet for about a minute before Victor spoke again. "Yuuri?"

"Hm?"

"You're really okay with everything?"

"Huh?" Before he could stop it, he'd let Yurio's favourite word slip from between his lips.

"My siblings aren't here. It's okay – you can be honest."

Yuuri inhaled before swallowing a lump of insecurity that was building at the back of his throat, his brown eyes staring up through the darkness at the ceiling. "I trust you, Vicchan."

The Russian man smiled again and took the hand that was stroking his hair in his own before bringing it to his lips and laying a kiss on Yuuri's knuckles. "I love you, Yuuri."

Yuuri's lungs suddenly felt hot, as if his body were trying to force him again. His heart was screaming it and Victor could almost hear, but his mind wouldn't allow his mouth to amplify the sound. Not yet. So instead, Yuuri leaned forward again, using his hand to tilt Victor's head up toward him, and kissed his lips softly. When they broke apart, they were smiling at each other in the dark before laying back down where they were. Closing his eyes, Yuuri's hand returned to where it had been and he was drawing little patterns in the base of his boyfriend's skull with his fingers.

He still couldn't say those three little words, but Yuuri felt a little better about it this time because for a second, he almost thought it would happen. He'd almost glimpsed the sunlight over the top of the steep hill called insecurity. As they drifted off to sleep, he was full of hope that the fateful day when "I love you" would roll off of his tongue with the ease with which it was felt.

* * *

Yuuri yawned deeply, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes as the large group sat in a bus early Tuesday morning with their luggage. Beside him, Victor clutched Makkachin in his arms, trying his best not to fall asleep on top of the chocolate poodle and squish him under his weight. To Yuuri's other side was Sergei, fully rested, but he didn't seem to be his normal self. The Japanese man yawned again and decided that maybe talking to Sergei could help him stave off the Sandman for a while.

"What's up, Sergei?"

"Hm?" asked the large Russian man, his muscular ginger wife sleep against him. "Oh, hello Yuura."

"Something on your mind?" the ant asked the giant.

"Ah, nothing," Sergei smiled nervously. "Just tired."

Yuuri nodded, deciding not to pry. He sat back and was silent then, sometimes closing his eyes briefly and sometimes staring at Makkachin as the Hasetsu BC bus rode steadily toward the Kyushu metropolis of Fukuoka. The ride would be just over an hour long, so it only made sense to get as comfortable as possible.

"Ah, quelle belle journée, oui?" Yuuri could hear Alexei chirp from where he was. He sat between Eclipse and Ivanna, the former taking photos with some lethargy and the latter tiredly applying her make up with a bit of a sour look on her face.

"What the fuck does that mean...?" asked Ivanna, grumpy from lack of sleep. She was staring into a pearly white seashell compact mirror and perfecting her sharpened eyeliner before yawning deeply. Her brother sighed.

"I said that it's a beautiful day today, you uncultured swine," grumbled Alexei, but his sister's bad mood still wasn't rubbing off on him.

"Yeah, whatever," Ivanna replied, putting her eyeliner away to fix her long hair into a messy bun.

Yuuri's expression fell as he watched Alexei's joy and he remembered their exchange in the bath from a while back. He remembered that thick feeling of disappointment and anxiety which emanated off of the Russian man no matter how much he seemed to want to hide it. He remembered the fact that Victor's ex-fiancé turned friend would be meeting them that day to catch up. Suddenly, these thoughts melted together and Yuuri began to question whether or not Alexei had actually preferred Ilya to him. The idea teased his insecurity and he suddenly felt discontent swirling about in the pit of his stomach. The feeling only fuelled his jealousy toward Victor's ex, a man he'd never met himself, but it also made him slightly angry at Alexei. Yuuri felt he'd been judged before Alexei even knew him and worse yet, he didn't even know by what meter stick he was being measured. All the same, his added exhaustion made him saltier than usual as he sat there on the large bus.

"Alexei seems pretty happy..." he said quietly before he could stop himself, his voice seeming to drip with a small but detectible amount of arsenic which he hadn't exactly intended on. Victor was napping already so only Sergei heard him. The giant shifted a little restlessly.

"Yes, he _is_ quite happy..." Sergei replied slowly. He paused for a moment as if pondering what he would say next. "Don't let it get to you, Yuura."

"Hm?"

"Uh... Well, it's just... You seemed a little annoyed just now."

Yuuri inhaled in order to say something, but his mind blanked. Suddenly, his previous thought process seemed a little silly. After all, maybe Alexei was just a morning person. And he was on vacation, so why shouldn't he be happy? There was also the chance that Yuuri's own uncertainty in himself had manufactured those feelings he detected in the bath. He was a little ashamed of himself for being so bothered by this, but that did little to remedy the irritation he still felt. "I... I don't know. I'm sorry."

The gargantuan platinum blond leaned closer to Yuuri and his voice became as quiet as it possibly could. "I understand how you're feeling. Please don't take Alexei's behaviour to heart. He's always been this way – very difficult to please, especially when it concerns Vitya. But he's not a bad person – just over protective."

Yuuri nodded, grateful for Sergei's attempts to comfort him. "Thank you, Sergei," he muttered so that only the titanic man would hear.

"Yuura," the eldest Nikiforov brother nearly whispered – or as close to whispering as he could get. "Mama told you all about Vitya's birth, right?"

"Oh, uh, yes she did."

"Okay, well then I'll tell you why I think that the twins have always shielded Vitya as much as they do," he said and turned his bulky body slightly toward the comparatively lithe man beside him. Sergei had a surprisingly somber look in his eyes which almost didn't suit the jolly giant persona that had become characteristic of him. "You see, around that time, Alexei and Yulia were only about thirteen years old. I had already moved out and was living with my kotonok, so we babysat the twins when Mama and Papa went to the hospital. It was Christmas Eve and everything was tense. Since they were only children, neither of the twins were handling the thought that their baby sibling might be miscarried very well. Alexei used to stay up at night because he had so many nightmares. It may not seem like it with him being what they call a 'dominant twin', but he's actually much more sensitive and emotional than Yulia is. I think that that was a very traumatizing experience for them and they never fully recovered, so they always felt it was their job to protect Vitya from a world that would only hurt him."

"Wow..." Yuuri whispered, this revelation changing the color of his experiences with the twins entirely. "I had no idea..."

"It was actually Alexei who chose Ilya for Vitya," Sergei continued. "He and Ilya met while vacationing in Paris and they became friends. Then Alexei decided Ilya was a good match so he convinced Vitya to go out on a date with him. Now, this wasn't the first time that the twins had decided to choose a date for our baby brother, but it was the first time that Vitya agreed to a second date. I have to say, I was a little hesitant when Alexei told me about Ilya, but looking back, it makes sense why he chose him."

"Why?" asked Yuuri.

"I guess Vitya hasn't told you much about his ex," said Sergei. "Ilya is a lawyer from St. Petersburg. He was already very established when Vitya met him, meaning that he had a good job, he owned a house, he was well off... That sort of thing. Vitya was twenty-four and still just learning how to live by himself at that point while Ilya was already thirty-six."

Yuuri jumped back a little when he heard those two numbers. " _What?!_ That's a twelve year age difference!"

"And that's why I had my reservations. Even when you spoke to them, you could tell that they were at totally different stages in their lives. I didn't think it would work, but I could see that Vitya actually did end up liking him enough to agree to more dates, so I tried my best to respect his decision. As for Alexei, he was so worried about Vitya when he left home and I think he'd essentially found him a new guardian – a caretaker..." A small laugh escaped the giant's throat before he continued with new found mirth in his voice. "And then you showed up, Yuura, and you represented everything Alexei never wanted for Vitya."

"W-what?!" the Japanese man sputtered.

"Yes!" exclaimed Sergei, giggling slightly as he spoke. "Ilya was very refined and mature and business-like, but _you_! _You_ got drunk and swung about on a pole after losing a competition! Alexei hated you for a little while because so may big, sudden changes in our darling brother's life which he wasn't entirely okay with seemed to revolve around you, but it was clear that Vitya had already fallen head over heels, so Alexei just had to accept it."

Yuuri's face was in his hands now and he wore an expression that was some cross between worry, surprise, and embarrassment. It all made perfect sense and actually, Yuuri could totally understand Alexei's feelings now. In fact, it seemed almost admirable that he had been able to be so decent to Yuuri thus far. He had been trying for the entire trip to keep an open mind and give Victor's boyfriend a chance to bury the terrible first impression of him that he'd been given at first. But was it too late? Had Yuuri already irreparably sullied his image in Alexei's eyes?

"So that's it then?" Yuuri asked, wearing the same expression as he stared at the floor. "He doesn't like me?"

"Oh no!" said Sergei, sitting back a little with a hearty laugh. "No, Alexei actually _likes_ your personality. Before we got here, he thought you would be some irresponsible party-animal who got drunk all the time and probably enjoyed the nudity of the public baths more than a normal person should!"

Yuuri's eyes became even wider at the thought and Sergei stopped laughing when he saw it, realizing that he had perhaps said a little too much. "Uh, well... The important thing is that he realizes you're a nice guy and he can see why Vitya likes you so much. But to put it bluntly, you're not the 'provider' he envisioned for Vitya, which I think has him a little anxious." Sergei sighed then. "Alexei lets his concern cloud his judgement. Ilya was a provider, yes, but he didn't respect Vitya's agency as an adult. Maybe I'm in no position to talk because even I end up treating him like a kid sometimes, but Ilya didn't do it with the intent of showing his love..."

"Is..." Yuuri started. "Is that why you looked so nervous just now?"

The white titan crossed his muscular arms over his massive chest thoughtfully. "I suppose I'm a little weary of Ilya now. It's possible that he's changed, but I will remain cautious until he's proven it."

The smaller man regarded the larger for another second before sitting back. The two were quiet for a long time as Alexei continued to annoy a grumpy Ivanna with his early morning peppiness. After about ten minutes, Yuuri could no longer keep his eyes open and, like Victor beside him, he fell into a light sleep as the vehicle dipped down the shallow valley of a low hill. It felt like he'd only been asleep for a few minutes before Victor groggily shook him awake. They had finally arrived at Fukuoka and Sergei was helping Toshiya unload their things from the luggage compartment. The sun was shining bright in the sky and Alexei deeply inhaled the crisp autumn air the second he walked out.

"Ah, Fukuoka," he said dreamily, hands on his hips with his wheeled suitcase beside him. "'A city is not adorned by external things, but by the virtue of those who dwell in it', said one Epictetus, and I wish to know what virtue has constructed you, oh Fukuoka."

"One of these days," Ivanna grunted tiredly, her missing sleep still evident in her expression as she slumped over with her shiny white plastic rolling luggage. "I'm going to lose my mind and I will kill you."

Alexei pouted in a way that was similar to Victor's signature annoyed look and wheeled his own luggage along in the direction where the hotel the family had booked was. Soon, the group had checked in and after freshening up, they headed out to face Fukuoka and all of its thrills with fresh minds and open eyes... As open as they could manage with minimal sleep. However, an hour into a stroll through Oohri Park and its picturesque scenery dotted with traditional Japanese structures, the two families were beginning to perk up quite a bit.

"Oh, let's take a picture here!" exclaimed Victor, feeling rejuvenated since that morning as he pointed out on the water to a deep red gazebo-like structure attached to the land via bridge with a deep green pointed roof on top.

"Excellent idea, Vitya!" pipped Anastasia as she chaînéed down the catwalk.

Her youngest son laughed and followed her, chaînéing after her toward the gazebo, his long blue scarf spinning in circles around him. Yuuri came to the entrance of the bridge to go after them until he noticed the position of Victor's feet as he turned and he noted that it was a close approximation of a pointe – as close as he could get to it given the shoes he was wearing. Yuuri had some idea that Anastasia taught Victor ballet as a child, but he had no idea he'd been practising it that long to be able to do that. He himself practised dance for many years as well, but he had never thought to try to earn pointe shoes as boys typically did not, but perhaps things were a little different when you were the son of a prima ballerina.

"It looks like Vicchan does ballet too, Yuuri!" Hiroko exclaimed, always amazed at the grace with which the mother-son pair were moving

"Anastasia said she was the one who taught him, right?" Mari asked.

"It's been a while since you've done that, eh Vitya?" Sergei, who had just come up behind them, called out to his youngest brother.

Finally reaching the gazebo, Anastasia did a little balancé back and forth until Victor spun in behind her, doing balloné steps until they both finished in opposite facing arabesques. They held the pose so that Eclipse could get all of her pictures before they relaxed slightly to stand in first position, then they both burst out into lighthearted laughter.

"I had no idea you were such a great danseur," Yuuri commented, now standing in the structure himself.

"I think I'm a tad rusty..." Victor started until his mother interrupted him.

"Nonsense! My Vitya the ballet genius! A true danseur noble!"

"Thank you, Mama," he smiled, giving her a quick hug. "I haven't done it in so long, I thought I couldn't go en pointe anymore."

Mrs. Nikiforov placed her hands on her hips and looked like she was about to scold him. "You should not do en pointe at all in these sneakers shoes! Sneakers do not support or cushion. You will hurt yourself."

"Yes, Mama," Victor laughed.

The group walked about taking many more pictures around the park, including some with Yuuri and Victor dancing ballet together as requested by the latter. The younger man could only do demi-pointe, but this mattered very little as Anastasia would not allowed Victor to go on pointe again in his Nikes. After a lunch of the local hakata ramen, they visited Marine Park Uminonakamichi before their final stop. Sergei and Victor had rented out a large skating rink prior to the trip and on that day, the Katsukis and the Nikiforovs were going to have the entire stadium to themselves.

Tripping again for the fourth time, Mari let out a frustrated sigh as she sat there on her sore bum. Yuuri, gliding toward her as if he had toe looped himself out of the womb, offered her a hand.

"You okay?" he grinned as she accepted his offer.

"Nah, I'm fine," she replied sarcastically. "My butt's never going to be like Nikki Minaj's at this rate, but other than that, I'm peachy.

Yuuri laughed. "Oh come on. You're not _that_ bad."

"Yuuri, I stink," Mari complained, giving her younger brother a pitiful little scowl as her knees shook unsteadily.

"Come on, Mari, it's easy," Yuuri insisted, letting her hold on to the barrier while he demonstrated. "Just put one foot in front of the other... Like you're walking, but bigger."

" _Easy_?" Mari huffed. "You know, Yuuri, not everyone is a graceful swan prince like you and Victor." She began to unsteadily make her way over to the entrance then, heading back toward the bench to get her skates off. "I think I'll sit this one out, bro."

"Aw, are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's fine," she assured him as she sat down. "I think I'll get some hot chocolate, keep Vladimir company..." she motioned over to the old man then, who was sitting on a bench a little further down, both hands on the top of his cane in front of him. Beside Vladimir sat Eclipse's beloved camera which she couldn't bear to bring with her onto the ice where it could potentially shatter to pieces, so she trusted the old man with her most prized possession. To his other side was Makkachin, laying on the floor as he waited for his owner to stop frolicking about.

Yuuri shrugged at Mari. "Well, okay... But let me know if you change your mind."

"Will do," she nodded, and then she looked past her brother's shoulder briefly. "Hey don't look now. Graceful Swan Prince #2 at 8 o'clock!"

The brother spun around then just in time to see Victor catching him around his waist and taking him by surprise.

"Vicchan!" he exclaimed, Victor's face now resting on his shoulder.

" _Yuura~_ " the platinum blond said in that same voice he'd used when Yuuri first earned the nickname, sending pleasurable shivers down the Japanese man's spine.

Yuuri gulped and Mari suddenly decided that now was as good a time as any to go and get that hot chocolate. "Yes?"

"My family wants to see us do our pairs routine from the exhibition," Victor muttered against his ear. "You know... 'Stay Close to Me?'"

Blood rushed to Yuuri's cheeks at the memory of the program and the amount of love that was proudly displayed on that international stage that day. He turned slightly to see the Nikiforovs, along with Mr. and Mrs. Katsuki, standing about on the ice, each of them looking at the couple expectantly. Yuuri redirected his attention toward Victor then, his face still a little hot. "Oh, y-yeah, sure!"

In a matter of minutes, the ice was cleared save for Yuuri, who stood in the middle, face down. Ivanna, who had memorized the song ever since Victor first told her he would use it, sang the duet as best she could as a solo while the rest of her family sat in the empty benches. Yuuri moved then, gliding slowly and then transitioning into a faster twirl. His breathing steadied and he began to feel a familiar sensation of contentment. The young skater slowly began to forget that he was being watched as he entered his zone, performing all of the beautiful moves his lover had taught him so long ago. This was a routine which would always have a place in his memory for as long as he lived, like a song from his childhood or a fragment of a past life. Before long, Victor had skated out onto the ice and took Yuuri's hand in his. Both families had seen the program before on television and then many times on Youtube later, but something about seeing the way that the two men looked at each other in real time was moving. Hiroko and Anastasia glanced at each other, smiles on their faces and eyes looking a little misty. Sergei, on the other hand, was more than just _a little_ misty as he sobbed quietly into a smiling Oksana's shoulder. Ivanna's voice became more passionate as she watched them as if their intimacy inspired the naive little lovestruck girl she had been in the past to come out of hiding for one last performance. Eclipse had found her camera and was taking more photos than usual while Toshiya rested his head in his hands, happy that his youngest son could experience the feelings which he could clearly see spread before him. Mari looked much the same as she became too engrossed in their love to remember to sip her hot drink, which was becoming cold. She had made her faces and proclaimed to feel sick at watching Victor kiss Yuuri for the first time on TV, because she was the skater's siblings and that was just what siblings did, but Mari really was happy for him. Vladimir had a knowing look on his face which softened his normally hardened features. Yulia watched intently with awe and wonder as did Alexei. As much as he'd wished that things worked out better with Ilya and as reluctant as he was to trust the strength of his brother's new relationship, he had to admit that it warmed his heart to see Victor so happy and giving so much affection.

By the end of the couple's performance, they had assumed their pose, their bodies in one place but their minds still drifting with each other blissfully. Turqoise blue eyes stared into smoky quartz brown as their family members stood, but a noise in the doorway caught everyone's attention before they could applaud.

All eyes followed the source of the clapping until they found the foreigner from before. Yuuri's eyes displayed slight shock now that he was able to get a good look at the guy. _It's him...!_ he thought.

There at the door stood all 6' 5" of Ilya Sokolov. His dark hair was neatly cut to compliment the shape of his face, noble jaw lined with cropped sideburns and a sensuous brown beard peppering his face and the upper part of his neck. His piercing ice blue eyes were adorned with the beginnings of little lines associated with age, but it made him look quite dignified rather than weathered. Ilya's well-proportioned body could only be described as ideal with his large chest and muscular legs covered by tailored, fashionable clothing that Yuuri could only dream of being able to afford.

"Bravo! Bravo!" His voice was like dark wine, rich and deep and naturally seductive. Yuuri's heart beat fast in his chest as he stared open-mouthed at the gentleman. Had Victor really chosen _him_ over this guy?

"Ilya, hello!" called Victor, gliding over toward the barrier. Yuuri noticed that his Russian boyfriend was sure to take his hand as he went, gently pulling Yuuri along with him.

The man called Ilya made his way over to the group with a charming smile on his face.

"Nice to see you again!" Alexei exclaimed, clearly happy to see his brother's ex. They had been friends before Ilya and Victor broke up, but now that everyone seemed to be on speaking terms, they could possibly pick up where they left off. Sergei, on the other hand, seemed to stiffen.

"It's nice to see you too, Sasha," Ilya responded slightly more casually. "And it's nice to meet the rest of you."

"Oh yes!" Victor turned to the Nikiforovs and Katsukis then, remembering that most of them had never met his former fiance. "Guys, this is Ilya."

After all but one of the introductions, some of which were rather awkward (specifically, Mari seemed a little standoffish), it was finally Yuuri's turn.

"Ilya, this is my boyfriend, Yuuri Katsuki."

Yuuri stared up at the approaching Russian as he offered one of his large hands to shake. As he approached, the intoxicating smell of expensive cologne intensified. Ilya's masculine presence was overpowering and by his demeanor, Yuuri almost expected him to get down on one knee to plant a chivalrous kiss upon the top of one of his hands. It was as if the ideal fairytale prince had jumped out of one of his pages and stood right in that spot. As much as Yuuri hated to admit it, Ilya would have been attractive enough to make him blush under different circumstances, however, it only made him nervous in this situation. That realization made the Japanese skater feel a little worse, but he forced the feeling back down from the corrosive pit in his stomach from whence it came.

"Pleasure to meet you, Yuuri Katsuki," said Ilya in his deep rich voice, shaking the younger man's hand gently.

"Y-yeah," Yuuri replied, internally cursing himself for the stutter. His heart fluttered nervously until he felt a gentle squeeze around hand his boyfriend still grasped. His brown eyes shifting slightly, he could see Victor glancing at him and he realized he was trying to offer comfort. _It's okay. I'm here. With **you**. _ Yuuri smiled and then suddenly felt a lot better. "The pleasure's mine."

Ilya nodded, a friendly look on his face as he broke the handshake and placed his own hand in his pocket. "Good firm handshake you got there."

"Ah, thank you!" Yuuri could remember he and Victor working on his handshake shortly after the Russian man arrived in Hasetsu. Apparently, his grip wasn't tight enough and he flopped around too much, but after a few tries, he was finally able to reflect the same confidence that Victor did when he shook hands.

"Ilya, why don't you join us on the ice?" Victor asked, gesturing to the office which rented out the skates.

"Ah, that's alright," the older Russian chuckled, his eyebrows lifting to give his face a slightly worried expression as he held up his hands in front of himself. "I'm not so good at figure skating."

"Oh, that's right," replied the platinum blond. "You were more into hockey, right?"

"Well, I'm certainly a fan. Unfortunately, I'm not that great at it, but I do enjoy playing."

"Well... why don't we all play a game of hockey then?" asked Victor after some thought.

Yuuri looked at him. "Hockey?"

"Yeah, sure!"

Yuuri had definitely played the sport a few times in his life, but he couldn't say that he was very good at all. In fact, he didn't really enjoy it too much growing up, but he still loved being on the ice, which was why he had tried ice skating instead.

"Sounds like fun," said Ilya. "I believe we can rent the equipment."

Suddenly, there was a very strange, low pitched sound. It was a bit like a rumble and everyone looked about to find where it was coming from. The sound became slightly louder, and then louder and louder until it was clear that the sound was a laugh. There was only one person in attendance with such a low, growly voice like that. All eyes were on Vladimir then, who was standing atop the bench he had just been sitting on, his cane laying out in front of him. He was already fully clothed in his hockey gear and was wearing the same uniform the Russian Olympic team used back in whichever year he had last played with them. As he continued to cackle, the Katsukis all seemed to back away from him slowly. Even some of the Nikiforovs seemed a little disturbed because no one had seen Vladimir leave long enough to get dressed and put on the equipment. Ilya just stared blankly, this being his first real experience with the old man.

"You want play hockey?" Vladimir asked with a smirk and a wildfire in his eye. "Lets play hockey."

Yuuri just stood there in shock, never having seen the old man this invigorated before. He wasn't sure what reaction to expect from his boyfriend, but he certainly didn't think he would turn and see what he saw.

"Game on!" Victor pointed an almost accusatory finger at his short stout father, a competitive smirk which perfectly matched Vladimir's on his face. "I may have lost to you at poker, old man, but the ice is mine."

Vladimir's head thrust backward as he let out another gravelly howl that almost made everyone but his youngest son shrink back in fear. "Foolish little boy!" he said, showing his teeth. "You may be pretty prince of swans, but I am ferocious king of wolves and I will eat you alive."

Ilya merely watched with an amused look while Yuuri tried to come between the father and son. "Uh, guys, wait a sec-"

"Oh how exciting!" exclaimed Sergei, clapping his large meaty hands in front of him.

Before Yuuri knew it, the rink was fitted with all of the accessories needed for a hockey game. There were two teams: Team Victuuri as Victor decided they call it, made up of Victor (centre), Yuuri (left winger), Sergei (goalie), Oksana (the only defenceman) and Yulia (right winger); and Team Will-Not-Lose, named with Vladimir's broken English and including the old man (goalie), Toshiya (left winger), Ilya (centre), and Alexei (right winger). To account for the discrepancy in the odd number of players, Vladimir assured everyone that with his skills, he could probably double as two members. Victor, crouching like a panther ready to strike at the face-off point in the central line, slammed his hockey stick down against the ice and glared competitively at his goalie father, a lopsided grin on his face.

"Ready to be humiliated, Methusalah?" Victor taunted.

Vladimir snickered at the younger man from his place in the net, moving fluidly back and forth like an impenetrable wall as if he didn't walk with a cane. "We will soon see who is humiliated, baby puppy."

Hiroko skated into the middle of the rink wearing a black and white referee shirt, swooning slightly as her gaze fell on Team Victuuri.

"Oooooh, Yuuri~!" Hiroko squealed. "You and Vicchan are so cute in your little jerseys!"

"I know, right?" shouted a starry-eyed Anastasia from the stands while Eclipse shot as many photos as she could and Mari sweat sheepishly beside them. "Look at these darling little boys!"

Victor stood up from his crouching position then, placing his free hand behind his head and smiling with just a tiny twinge of embarrassment. Yuuri's expression was similar, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he humbly touched his chin with one finger. Their mothers were acting like their sons were five years-old and at their first little league game.

"Eclipse, make sure you get lots of pictures!" exclaimed Ivanna, looking almost as starry as her mother. Eclipse looked up at her briefly and flashed her a thumbs up before continuing her job as the family paparazzi.

"Okay, does everyone have all their protection?" asked Hiroko.

"Yes, Mrs. Katsuki," almost all the players responded, except the Russians pronounced it "Catskey" and Yuuri of course said "mom". Vladimir merely nodded with an affirmative grunt.

"Good! Now let's all remember to have fun, okay?" she pronounced the last word with a cute little wink. "The losing team will buy the winners slushies!"

"I will have very much fun," said Vladimir. "I will have fun wiping smile off of Vitya's face and then drinking sugary slush drink."

"Just try it, old man!" called Victor, holding out his hockey stick at his father, an intense aura changing his heart-shaped grin from its usual upbeat look. "I can taste that slushie _you're_ about to buy _me_ already."

The other players and bystanders looked at each of them as they trash talked each other, most sweating sheepishly at the display. Yuuri watched the exchange with some shock. Where was all this trash talking coming from? He admitted he didn't know enough about Vladimir to say that this was out of character, but Victor? Victor never allowed anyone to get under his skin and always let his performance do the talking. Even back when JJ was taunting him relentlessly, it was as if Victor didn't even see him. What was so different now, he wondered? But as Yuuri stared, he could see in Victor's eyes the same playfulness as when he was teasing Yurio the other day. Was this just how he and Vladimir played with each other?

The old man flashed his own heart-shaped smile back at his son, a fire burning in his eyes. "I wiped your bum when you were baby, now I wipe floor with you!"

" _If_ you can even reach me, you little troll."

" _Vitya!_ " said his mother sternly as if to try and stop her son from going too far with the insults.

"Oh, I'll reach you, little boy," Vladimir sneered back with his heavy Russian accent. "Then when you are eating words instead of slushie drink, you will wish you kept little pretty boy mouth shut!"

" _Vova!_ " said Anastasia in the same stern voice she had just used with Victor, her hands now snapping to her hips.

Suddenly remembering that she was the ref, Hiroko blared her whistle as loudly as she could, earning both father's and son's attention as well as that of everyone else.

"That's enough, you two," she said. "Settle it with the puck."

With that, both Victor and Vladimir quickly assumed their positions, their teammates taking their places around them. Hiroko skated to the very middle and ended up standing between Victor and Ilya while holding the puck.

"Eh, go easy on me, okay?" Ilya asked meekly when they were face-to-face, sweating slightly as if the father-son trash talking was shaking his resolve just slightly.

"Don't worry," Victor replied, chipper as ever. "My father is my only real enemy!" That just made Ilya sweat even harder.

"Now, I want a good clean game. First one to 5 points wins." Hiroko stated before she blew again from her whistle and dropped the puck.

Yuuri had to stop right in his place. He barely saw Victor when he struck the puck and then glided quickly like the wind past his blinking former fiance. The look on Ilya's face indicated that he didn't see it coming either. Toshiya and Alexei scrambled to the centre where the youngest Nikiforov was making a beeline for the snickering goalie, like a video game protagonist throwing everything they've got at a final boss, but they just weren't fast enough. Already, Victor was in the opposing end zone, slapping the puck as hard as he could into the net. It looked like it would go in for sure, but even in his old age way past his prime, Vladimir was fast too and he blocked the rocketing game piece with his knee before it could enter the net. Slowly lifting himself back into position, the old man shared a competitive glare with his youngest son as he let out a low chuckle.

"Nice try, Baby Bear," grinned Vladimir. "But you cannot best your Papa Bear."

"We'll just see about that."

"Hey um," Mari muttered to Ivanna on the bleachers as she watched the two seeming to be engaged in some sort of stand-off while their teammates meandered around like they didn't know what to do. "Has Victor always been this... competitive?"

"Well... Vitya is always competitive really, but he is only _like this_ with his papa," sighed Anastasia beside the two women. "When Vitya was a child, a lot of spare time Vova and me spent with him teaching him our sports. I teach him to be best danseur noble in my dance studio, and Vova teach him to be MVP at local ice rink. Vitya was gifted in both of those things, so he debated for a long time if he wants to dance ballet or play for hockey team until he decided he do both by becoming figure skater."

"So _that's_ how it happened..." Mari realized.

"During hockey practice, they always be like this," Anastasia huffed. "Saying such rude things to each other... But somehow, that motivate Vitya to do better. I don't really understand it. We never say such things at my dance studio."

The spectators stared back out onto the ice where things were absolute chaos. Hardly anyone except Vladimir and Victor were even playing anymore. Mostly, they were just trying to run for cover and stay out of their way. Yuuri pressed his back against the barrier of the rink, watching Victor with dumbfounded awe as he encountered Toshiya, who was trying his best to block the younger man. Victor chucked the puck between Toshiya's legs and as the older man bent in some attempt to retrieve it, Victor pulled off some move that looked like a side-swiping single toe loop and jumped over Mr. Katsuki, landing perfectly on sturdy footing and taking the puck once again while the confused man just stood there wondering what the hell just happened. Meanwhile, it seemed that no matter how many times Victor shot the puck toward the goal, Vladimir would block it. He was even able to block the puck while doing a handstand, his round belly shaking with laughter. The game had been going on for a solid thirty minutes at this point and no points had been scored by either side.

"They're _animals_!" muttered Alexei, who was against the barrier beside Yuuri.

"I had no idea Vicchan was this good at hockey..." Yuuri said with shock in his voice.

"I knew Vitya was very good," said Ilya, skating up next to them, one hand on his hip and the other holding his chin thoughtfully. "But this is unbelievable..."

"They might be taking this a little too seriously..." Oksana said, leaning on her hockey stick as Sergei slowly abandoned his post. "Maybe I'll just buy _myself_ a slushie..."

"Odd as it is, their passion is kind of admirable, isn't it?" Ilya asked. Yuuri looked at him as the older man watched the father and son with amusement.

Oksana laughed. "Well, Vitya is nothing if not passionate, that's for sure. I suppose we see where he gets it from. Mama is pretty passionate about ballet too."

After a few more minutes, the pair was still in Team Will-Not-Lose's end zone, staring each other down with matching smirks, panting and exhausted. No points had yet been scored and the group over by the barrier all sighed together as they watched the only two still playing. Oksana had already bought her blue slushie and Ilya had opted for hot chocolate instead, and the two of them sipped on their drinks while watching the fiercest battle of the century before them.

"So, it is you and me," said Vladimir between breaths.

"One last showdown," Victor replied. "Why don't you sit down, Papa? You're exhausted."

"HAH!" howled Vladimir. "I would not leave this net even in body bag!"

"So be it then," laughed Victor. "I never wanted to bury my father, but it seems I have no choice!" With that he lifted his stick, seemingly in slow motion, to once again collide with the puck, until...

A loud, shrill noise echoed through the stadium and Victor stopped in his tracks. The duo looked up from the game to see Referee Hiroko skating toward them. "Alright boys! That's enough. We're calling this game a draw."

Both men opened their mouths to protest. "But!"

Hiroko flashed them both a stern and surprisingly scary parental look with her hands on her hips. Victor and Vladimir cowered away slightly and decided it just wasn't worth it. Every one else was a little shocked and shied away from Mrs. Katsuki while Yuuri, Mari, and Toshiya just nodded. They had definitely each been on the receiving end of that stare at least once.

* * *

" _Jesus_ , you two!" Mari exclaimed. "Never mind how you play. I didn't know you could be that mean to each other!

After their day at the rink, the group decided to do things that required less energy as they were all quite tired at that point. Ilya paid for a relaxing tour of Asahi Breweries Hakata Brewery after which everyone was allowed to sample the alcohol. Currently, the group sat together, dining on sushi which Ilya had again insisted he pay for. Surprisingly and especially after having to share the sidelines with him during that hockey game, Yuuri was beginning to feel slightly less tense around Victor's old fiance. He was still a little intimidating by the very nature of being a more mature man, but he also seemed like a genuinely nice guy and so far, he had been staying in his lane in terms of his interactions with Victor. So when Ilya started laughing at the faces Victor was making while he tried to explain why he and his father seemed so malicious earlier, Yuuri was relaxed enough to join in the mirth rather than question it.

"Well, you see..." Victor started, but he wasn't sure how to describe what everyone had just witnessed. "What can I say? That's just hockey."

"That sport brings out the worst in your both," Anastasia huffed, stuffing sashimi into her mouth. Vladimir might have had some response to that, but no one would know for sure because he was out like a light beside her. The exertion and the alcohol had proved too much for the poor old man who already had a tendency toward drowziness. Victor pouted at his mother, causing her to look almost apologetic. "Ooooh, Vitya! Don't make that adorable face."

"I also could have done without the trash talking, personally," said Ilya after taking a sip of sake. "But that was amazing to watch. You two are really good."

"Haha, thanks!" said Victor, brightening up again.

"Yuuri, you are a figure skater like Vitya, correct?" asked the brunette, turning to the Japanese man then. "I do remember seeing you on television. You're quite an athlete yourself."

"Ah! Th-thank you," Yuuri replied, a little taken aback at the compliment. It was then that he really realized that things were not going as he'd originally expected that morning. He hadn't really noticed until then how comfortable he had become over the course of the day. And he wasn't the only one. Even Mari, who probably trusted Ilya the least at first, seemed more relaxed. Sergei, however, still kept his distance, but he could never not be friendly.

"See, Yuuri?" asked Victor, throwing an arm across the younger man's shoulders and pulling him against him. "You're an amazing skater!"

The raven-haired man laughed, turning a little red. Ilya watched them with a pleasant smile on his face and took another sip of sake before turning casually to Sergei to listen to his telling of his mountain lion story. A wave of relief rolled over Yuuri as he took in everything that was happening. Maybe hanging out with Victor's ex wasn't such a bad idea after all. He could finally relax...

And then he remembered how... spirited... Sergei's stories could get and so, his anxiety spiked right back up as he hoped it wouldn't get them kicked out.

* * *

Please remember to leave a review! :)


	10. Dinner with Mr. Brightside

Second chapter for today!

* * *

_Dinner with Mr. Brightside_

* * *

Wednesday was bright and sunny, just as Yuuri's weather app predicted the night before. His tired eyes wandered the sunlit room and he remembered he wasn't in Hasetsu anymore. This would be their last day in Fukuoka and they were currently staying in a hotel right in the middle of the city. Yuuri lifted himself up, the white duvet sliding off of him slightly, as he stretched his arms above his head and let out a yawn. Victor was still asleep beside him, embracing his pillow, and Makkachin was in his usual place at the foot of the bed, lifting his head up to greet his owner's boyfriend. Yuuri smiled and lethargically reached for the pup.

"Hey, Makka," he said in a slightly childish voice. "You having a good time on vacation, boy?"

One of the dog's brown eyes closed as he pushed his fuzzy little head against Yuuri's touch, the young man's hand tussling the brown fur as he pet the canine. Yuuri chuckled a little, scooching a little further down the bed. Beside him, Victor stirred and turned his head toward his boyfriend, his grey starlight hair sticking out in all directions about his head in a messy halo.

His head still half-buried in his pillow, Victor tiredly brushed his fringe back away from his eyes and smiled lazily. "Good morning, darling," he muttered, staring at the other man through half-lidded blue eyes.

"Morning, sunshine," Yuuri smiled back, Makkachin moving to rest his head in the man's lap. He knew it was just the optimal place for him to be for Yuuri to scratch behind his floppy ears.

Victor lifted his messy grey head and turned to the other bed where his older sisters lie. "Are those two awake yet?" he asked Yuuri even though he had his answer right in front of him.

Ivanna slept in her sheer pink lingerie as usual, all twisted up into a weird position with hair sticking out of her loose bun and a small thread of drool trickling down one side of her face. On the other side of the bed was Yulia, who slept wearing a full black silk pyjama set with a nighttime version of her religious veil. She was in a fetal position on her right side, the sheets having been pulled off of her by her sister's nocturnal movements, but it looked as if she too had moved a little during the night because small pieces of cloudy grey hair peaked out from underneath her headdress.

Yuuri shook his head. "Not yet."

Victor grabbed his phone off the night stand and read the numbers slowly. Pushing his body upward, the platinum blond was soon on his feet, wearing his regular tight black underwear as he usually did to bed. Such attire might have been way too skimpy for Yulia's comfort given that they were sharing a bedroom, but since he was her darling baby brother, the thought of being uncomfortable at a man whose diapers she had changed so many times hadn't even crossed her mind much to Yuuri's initial surprise. Even nearing thirty, he was truly more child than man to her. Had it been anyone else – even Yuuri, who Yulia now felt relaxed enough around to call Yuura – she would have refused to room with him.

"We should get going," Victor yawned on his way to the other side of the room to try to gently shake the drooling Ivanna awake. "Hey, Drooling Beauty. Vstavay."

The platinum blond woman groaned in her sleep and stirred a little, her face contorting into an annoyed expression. "Nyet, Mama... Ya ne khochu, chtoby idti k zubnomu vrachu...!"

Her younger brother giggled. "Ivanna, it's Victor."

"Vitya? Vy stomatolog...?"

Victor turned to Yuuri, who was watching while still petting Makkachin. "She thinks she's at the dentist."

Suddenly, Ivanna seemed to be crying in her sleep, but these were tears of joy rather than sadness. She reminded Yuuri a lot of Minako and Mari in the audience at the Grand Prix Final whenever he performed. "Ty stomatolog i figuristom?!" she sobbed. Apparently, she her fear of dentists melted at the thought that her baby brother had become one himself along with keeping his figure skating career. "Ya tak gorzhus' toboy, Vityaaaa! Kakoy ambitsioznyy mal'chik ty!"

Yuuri saw Victor sweat a little with a sheepish smile on his face. "Ivanna..."

"Vitya..." Yuuri and Victor shifted their gaze over to Yulia's back. She rose slightly, leaning on her right arm, and rubbed her eyes with her left, then turned to the two men and their dog on other side of the hotel room. "Since when did you become a dentist...?"

Victor sweat harder, Yuuri joining him this time.

* * *

"You led last time when we were in Saga. I think _Mari_ should lead this time."

After breakfast, everyone made their way over to Tenjin City, which was known for its underground shopping mall, Tenjin Chikagai. They had more or less formed the same groups as before, but this time, with the addition of Ilya who met them there just after breakfast. While Yuuri was texting Otabek to iron out the details of the dinner they were planning for another day, Ivanna, Mari, and Oksana decided amongst themselves who would lead their trio around the shopping centre this time.

"Aw, alright," Ivanna pouted, folding her arms over her ample chest. Being older and Sergei's wife, Oksana always had the same kind of unspoken authority over her as an older sister over a younger sister. "I guess that's fine."

"Thanks, Oksana," smiled Mari.

The musclebound beauty winked back. "No problem! Just make sure you find us some really good sales... Do you think they still have any of their summer merchandise? I could use a new swimsuit~"

As the women made their way down the corridor lined with lights and various shops, the last group, made up of Yuuri, Victor, Ilya, Sergei, and Makkachin, were still left at what would later be their meeting place. Yuuri had just finished his text message when he looked up to see the other men glancing about them in silence, Sergei looking a little more awkward than the other two. It made Yuuri feel slightly uncomfortable too to see the giant in such a state. Makkachin just looked up at the humans, wondering what they could possibly be thinking about.

"So um," Sergei started. "Where to, guys?"

"Well..." said Victor, turning to his oldest brother with a huge heart-shaped grin and big adorable eyes as if he were pleading with him already before even making the suggestion he must have thought would be turned down. "I might have spotted a Ralph Lauren on our way in here..."

The inner corners of Sergei's silver eyebrows lifted upward to give a tinge of worry to his overall expression. Whereas Victor was a huge fan of designer clothing, Sergei never saw the use in spending so much money on a few articles if they didn't seem to have much of a purpose. If it didn't add to the aesthetic of one of Victor's many beautiful routines or make his wife glide through the water like a muscular mermaid or help him not overheat while working out to keep him as strong and bulky as he was, Sergei just couldn't see the point.

"Vitya, I really don't know why you like those things."

"Hey, I like quality, okay?" winked Victor.

"Sergei, why don't we just go take a look?" asked Ilya, placing his hand on the titanic platinum blond's shoulder. Somehow, Sergei's massive size didn't seem to overshadow the smaller man like it did many others even though Ilya was indeed only a fraction of his size. "In fact, it'll be on me."

Sergei's blue eyes looked like two saucers as he stared down at the other Russian. "R-really?! No, I... I couldn't."

"Of course you could!" exclaimed the brunette. "In fact, none of you three gentlemen have to pay for anything today. How's that?"

"Wh- r-really?!" stammered Yuuri.

"Yes, yes, don't even worry about it!" Ilya said and then scooped the three of them up by swinging one arm over Victor's shoulders as he was holding Yuuri close to him and the other hand still lingering on Sergei. He pushed them along gently as if to try to get them into the shop before they could say no. "I really don't mind."

Victor hesitated but eventually shrugged slightly. "Well... If you insist, I suppose that's fine."

And so, the foursome and their dog started their shopping trip at Ralph Lauren continuing on to Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, and finally Under Armour. Shopping bags in their hands and under their arms, the squad of men set their sights on snack foods and found a cute little cafe attached to a large bookstore to peruse at their leisure. Having ordered their drinks, Yuuri decided he wanted to look for the next installment of a book series he had started recently, _A Song of Ice and Fire_. Victor had gotten him the first installment, _A Game of Thrones_ , at his request on Valentine's Day that year and Yuuri had become so engrossed in the tale of Westeros and Essos that he decided he would try to finish the series. As Yuuri stood in the aisle between the shelves of books by authors whose surnames began with "Ma", the only thing troubling his mind was whether or not he wanted the original English _A Clash of Kings_ or the Japanese translation, _Ourou-tachi no Senki_. It was true that while living in Detroit, Yuuri had become good enough at English that even some native speakers mistook him for being part of their ranks, however, the old fashioned language used in the books could be sort of tricky at times...

"Get the English one so I can read it too," suggested Victor over Yuuri's shoulder.

"Hmm..." That did make the most sense, but of the two of them, Yuuri's grasp on English was definitely stronger than Victor's, as he still had a noticeable accent and forgot words from time to time. Surely, he would find the book more difficult than Yuuri did, but buying the Japanese version meant Victor had no chance at all. "Do you think we can handle it?"

Victor shrugged. "If not, that's what Google's for."

"I guess..."

"I highly recommend the English version," Ilya chimed in. "I read the Russian translation a few years ago before finally getting it in English. I must say that it changed the entire tone of the novel significantly. I shied away originally for the same reason as you, but especially with you both looking at it, I think you should be able to figure things out."

"Get it, get it~" Victor exclaimed, gently and playfully shaking Yuuri's shoulders.

"Haha, alright, alright!"

Moments later, the group sat together at a small table in the cafe, sipping on caffeinated beverages after having paid for their books. Victor's chocolate poodle laid on the floor at his feet, taking a short nap while the humans chatted among themselves.

"So what did you two end up buying?" asked Sergei over his latte after Yuuri had showed him his novel, his massive body looking almost comical next to the elegant little table.

"I decided on some Hermann Hesse," said Ilya, putting down his drink for a moment to fish for the two books in his bag. "I couldn't decide between _Siddhartha_ and _Steppenwolf_ , so I decided I'd just get both. I've been meaning to add them to my collection anyway."

Victor chuckled, spinning a thin wooden stir stick around in his cup. "Still a huge fan, I see."

"I read _Demian_ for the hundredth time on the plane ride over," Ilya admitted with a smile, one hand scratching at his stubble slightly.

" _Again_?"

"It's a good book!"

"So uh..." Yuuri started, suddenly feeling a little left out. "What's that about...?"

Ilya's eyes brightened suddenly as he stopped what he was doing, his gaze falling on the Japanese man across from him. He didn't seem to be the calm, cool character Yuuri had originally pinned him to be. Instead, he looked almost as if he'd been filled with the same childlike excitement that sometimes possessed Sergei. Victor sighed with his head in his hands, knowing that Yuuri had just unknowingly opened a big, long, boring can of worms. Both Yuuri and Sergei saw their reactions, and sat in cautious wonder at what would happen next.

"Yuuri, I would be simply overjoyed to tell you!" Ilya exclaimed, with a certain voice that made him sound like he would burst at any second. "So! The story begins with Emil Sinclair, who is a young boy in a middle class home, and he has a huge dilemma. He discovers the concept of the _Scheinwelt_ , which is both the 'world of illusion' and the 'wold of light'. Now, this is significant because-"

Suddenly, there was a very loud noise. It wasn't a short, punctuating noise like glass falling on the floor or a shrill scream, but a lingering grinding noise. Yuuri almost didn't even recognize the sound as a guitar riff until he noticed the drums and solo guitar joining in. Ilya's face was completely white like paper. It was then that the other men finally realized that the noise was Ilya's ringtone.

_Altogether why!_

_I can't believe my eyes..._

_What I see standing in front of me..._

_Crowd of thousand men,_

_Who've come to make a stand._

_Here we are, under the seven stars._

_Ride, side by side,_

_Touching the fire in the souls of ours tonight as we ride,_

_Into the moonlight._

_Fear, step aside,_

_Run and hide. I'm not afraid to risk my life as we ride,_

_Into the moonlight._

What followed was the near entire abandonment of the calm and collected persona Yuuri had seen from Ilya thus far as he frantically searched his messenger bag for the source of the noise, face going from white to red as the rest of the cafe stared at their table. The Japanese man glanced quickly at his boyfriend, who also looked pretty shocked to be hearing the heavy metal ringtone. Makkachin's little brown head shot up, staring toward the direction of the sound.

"S-sorry about this, guys..." Ilya muttered, taking his messenger bag into his lap to search more thoroughly.

_Halfway home we face,_

_The dark ones eye to eye._

_Step aside! Unless you want to die._

_Night is cold and black._

_A blind man leads the blind._

_We can't see the forest for the trees._

_Ride, side by side,_

_Touching the fire in the souls of ours tonight as we ride,_

_Into the moonlight._

_Fear, step aside,_

_Run and hide. I'm not afraid to risk my life as we ride,_

_Into the moonli-_

Finally, Ilya found his phone and took the call, trying not to look around at the other patrons who were surely staring.

"Zdravstvuyte?" he asked slowly. There was a pause as he was listening to the caller, and then Ilya glanced slightly at Victor before looking at the table. "Da, ummm... Mogu li ya pozvonit' vam pozzhe? ... Uh huh... Yes..." Ilya started sweating a little before he cleared his throat. Sergei watched intently. "Seychas ... Seychas ne podkhodyashcheye vremya... Okay... Da... Do svidaniya."

Ilya hung up the phone and let out a huge sigh he'd been holding in.

"Um, Ilya..." started Victor, sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed in front of him.

"... Yes?" asked the brunette in a tone indicating that he already knew what his ex's question was going to be.

"What the actual fuck was that?" Victor giggled and the other men began laughing slightly too while Ilya just smiled, his face still in his hands.

"I um..." Ilya tried to explain. "W-well... After the break up, I guess I just turned to music and I found that I kind of liked heavy metal."

"That's... quite a song," said Sergei. The last thing he had expected to hear from Ilya that day was a song about riding into battle underneath the light of the moon.

"Dream Evil," the other Russian stated. "They're pretty good."

It was almost time for the men to meet up with the rest of their group members and Ilya had a hard time relaxing in the cafe after that little incident, so they decided to make their way back to the meeting place. As they walked along with their canine friend, the conversation drifted back to Ilya's unexpected musical preferences.

"So, what else do you have on there?" Yuuri asked curiously.

Ilya turned slightly pink. "Well, it's not _all_ heavy metal. I've got other rock music too."

" _Such as_?" Victor asked almost teasingly.

"Such as..." Ilya said with a pointed look in the platinum blond's direction, searching through his playlist as if to take on Victor's silent challenge. When he had presumably found what he was looking for, Ilya tapped the screen with his thumb and waited less than a second before the music came on. It was another guitar riff, but it was much softer this time.

_I'm coming out of my cage,_

_And I've been doing just fine._

_Gotta gotta be down,_

_Because I want it all._

_It started out with a kiss..._

_How did it end up like this?_

_It was only a kiss. It was only a kiss._

Yuuri looked as if he were searching his memory for something; a song that Phichit played all the time in their Detroit dorm room as he relaxed at his computer, hamsters crawling about all over him.

" _Mr. Brightside_ by the Killers?" he asked.

"That would be correct," smiled Ilya. "It's kind of old in terms of recent music, but it's a good one."

"I remember when this first came out!" exclaimed Victor, bobbing his head slightly as memories flooded back. "Oh my God, I was in high school!"

"I remember you used to play it all the time, Vitya," chuckled Sergei slightly from behind them.

_Now I'm falling asleep,_

_And she's calling a cab,_

_While he's having a smoke,_

_And she's taking a drag._

_Now they're going to bed,_

_And my stomach is sick,_

_And it's all in my head,_

_But she's touching his chest._

_Now, he takes off her dress._

_Now, letting me go._

_I just can't look. It's killing me..._

_And taking control..._

The younger Nikiforov brother started dancing slightly as they walked, laughing when another fragment of his teenage years came to the forefront of his mind. "You know, I actually sneaked into my older friend's prom that year and they played this song."

"You sneaked into prom?!" asked Sergei, laughing harder and starting to look a little more like his usual self. "Vitya, if Alexei and Yulia knew about that...!"

"I know!" the younger brother giggled as he turned stylishly, probably repeating the moved he remembered doing as a teen on that night. "Oh, but it gets worse. I remember we brought in vodka hidden in water bottles. People were wondering why we had water bottles at prom, so I had to tell them I just got dehydrated easily!" Sergei let out one of his big laughs while Yuuri gave his boyfriend a look that was incredulous but also amused. That definitely sounded in line with the kinds of wild things Victor loved to do. Makkachin stared at his owner, his fluffy tail wagging behind him as he figured Victor must have been playing some kind of human game.

"Never knew you were such a bad kid in high school!" laughed Ilya. He then took Victor's free hand and spun him around, the shopping bags on his arms moving about almost dangerously as he joined in his new friend's little dance.

Victor was surprised that the other man would join him, but he quickly got over it when he realized he was being dipped in the middle of the sidewalk. Yuuri watched their antics with amusement at first, but when he saw the mirth they shared, he couldn't help but feel little pangs of envy poking and prodding at him. He didn't realize he was being watched by Sergei, who saw Yuuri's smile slowly disappear. Everything had been more or less fine thus far, but something about watching Ilya dance with Victor was setting him off.

There was a certain significance that dancing and such activities had in their relationship. Dance was how Yuuri and Victor met. Figure skating, which shared many elements with dance, was how they had come to know each other and express their feelings. He knew he shouldn't, but seeing Victor share that with another person left him full of feelings he had been silencing into a corner all day.

_Jealousy, turning saints into the sea._

_Swimming through sick lullabies._

_Choking on your alibis._

_But it's just the price I pay._

_Destiny is calling me._

_Open up my eager eyes,_

_'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside._

The families had finally met up just a few minutes later. They brought their souvenirs and trinkets back to the hotel before visiting the Great Buddha of Fukuoka, taking loads of pictures and then grabbing a quick lunch. Yuuri had been kind of quiet since watching Victor and Ilya dancing in the street. He was bothered by it even though he had tried so hard to be better than that. Ever since the ex-fiance had first been mentioned on the trip, Yuuri made it his goal to not be the type of boyfriend who got jealous easily and ended up putting strain on his own relationship by being possessive. The last thing he wanted was to make Victor feel like he was trapped. It wouldn't be fair nor healthy to put him on a metaphorical leash and besides, Ilya seemed not to have impure intentions, but at the same time, Yuuri's own negative feelings about himself were like a green-eyed monster, peering around corners at him and popping out when he least expected it. Why couldn't be just be okay with what he saw? Why couldn't be just be okay with himself?

"Yuuri, are you okay...?"

The raven-haired man jumped slightly as his untouched okonomiyaki came back into view. Victor was peering down at his face from beside him while the rest of the table was engrossed in Mari's story of the three creeps who tried to hit on she, Ivanna, and Oksana before the latter completely knocked them off of their feet... _Literally_.

Yuuri shook his head, unable to meet Victor's gaze. "I'm fine." It came out shorter than he intended.

"Are you sure?" prodded the silver-haired man beside him. "You haven't touched your lunch."

"I'm fine." Yuuri repeated, a little more forcefully this time.

But Victor could see that something was wrong. He decided to stop asking because Yuuri was obviously getting annoyed, but he wasn't finished trying to cheer him up. He had noticed coming in that there was a deal on green tea ice cream that day. Two cups of ice cream for the price of one. Yuuri loved ice cream, especially green tea flavour, but he rarely ever got to eat it because of his problem with binge eating. Victor decided, however, that putting a smile back on Yuuri's face was an important issue and anyway, he had been pretty good all week especially considering they'd been eating way more fast food than normal.

"Hey, Yuuri," Victor grinned. "Guess what?"

"What?" asked Yuuri, flatly, moving the okonomiyaki around with his chopsticks but not really eating it. He just wished that his boyfriend would stop talking.

"I'm in the mood for ice cream," said Victor. "Why don't we go get some?"

"No thanks," Yuuri replied. "I don't feel like it..."

"Aw, come on~"

"No, Victor."

"It's green tea flavour!"

"I don't want any."

"Okay, then just come to the counter with me so I can order for myself."

Yuuri sighed, clearly frustrated. He was at his boiling point. The words were spilling out of his mouth before he could stop them. "If you just need someone to come with you, why don't you just go with Ilya then?"

Sergei watched the couple secretly while the rest of the table erupted with laughter at the story Mari was in the middle of telling. He saw the brief flash of shock and hurt on Victor's face before his blue eyes shifted toward the table, not even seeing how Makkachin had started to beg for table scraps. He saw Yuuri look a little surprised at his own words and then slowly go back to his okonomiyaki, the same expression still on his face. Yuuri hadn't meant to snap at Victor, but he'd said what he said and now he didn't even know how to apologize. Sergei regarded them with an uncharacteristic sort of sadness before turning back to his now empty plate. Yuuri was silent, Victor was silent, and no one but Sergei even noticed.

Yuuri hardly noticed the rest of the day. Victor was uncharacteristically quiet for a little while, but he was trying to be his usual self to keep everyone else happy. Yuuri found it was very difficult to act like nothing was wrong, so he just tried to stay out of everyone's way. He let Alexei's enthusiasm to be reunited with his friend fill the space he had left as not to bring down the mood any further. His absence did not escape Sergei's notice, however. But the older man did not approach the younger man to talk about what was happening. He did not attempt to have such conversations with his younger brother either. It just wasn't the time or place for that. Perhaps he could catch up with them once they were back in Hasetsu that night. Sergei, however, was not the only one who sensed strife between Victor and Yuuri.

By the time the group had arrived at the picturesque Fukuoka Tower for dinner, the couple still hadn't said a word to each other all evening. They still sat next to one another as they were used to doing, but they ate in relative silence while their family members laughed and chatted and admired the scenery of the city below. Victor was glancing at Yuuri every few seconds, wondering what he should do or say in a situation like this. He never knew how to act when people got emotional and even the couple's experiences at the Grand Prix Final hadn't taught him too much. Sighing, the platinum blond decided that maybe some fresh air would help clear his head.

"Hey," he said to Yuuri finally. "I'm going to the washroom."

Yuuri nodded, his eyes never leaving his plate. Part of him was too ashamed to look Victor in the eye right now. "Okay."

With a sigh, Victor pushed his seat out, tried to put on a cheerful face as he excused himself from the table, and made his way over to the bathroom, leaving his dog to be looked after by Ivanna. After doing his business, washing his hands, and then fixing his starlight hair in the mirror, he exited the restroom and walked slowly onto the observation deck to lean on the barrier separating him from the city's vast night sky. It was kind of a warm night for autumn – warm enough that the Russian man felt little need for his jacket which was currently hanging off of his chair beside Yuuri. Victor let his gaze fall over all of Fukuoka around him. It certainly wasn't the biggest or most lively city he'd ever been to, but he had been all over the world and seen many things. Of course, Fukuoka still had some sort of charm to it which most places didn't have – the fact that its wonders were so close to his and his boyfriend's home. His thoughts wandering back to said boyfriend, Victor had suspected that maybe this whole thing wasn't a good idea. Maybe it was too early in his and Yuuri's relationship for him to be establishing a new friendship with an old lover. But at the same time, even back when they were together, it was always so hard to say 'no' to Ilya. He always knew exactly what to say to make Victor feel badly, like he'd made the wrong decision or like he was being unfair. Even his re-introduction a little while back at Hasetsu Kunchi was able to unearth some of the guilt that still plagued Victor's heart.

He said it with a smile, so easily and so passively. "You know, our relationship ended so abruptly, but I think we can be friends now, right?" He didn't mention why it ended abruptly, but it was enough just to say it did. He knew how Victor's head worked. Victor chuckled a little to himself, but it was not full of mirth like his laughter typically was. He wondered if he and Ilya could really ever truly be friends.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?"

For some reason, Victor had been expecting Yuuri, so his expression was bright when he turned around, but it dropped noticeably when he saw Ilya standing there instead. "Oh, hi Ilya."

One of Ilya's dark eyebrows lowered as he smiled at Victor. "You look kind of upset. Are you okay?"

Victor sighed and turned back toward the night as Ilya walked up beside him to lean on the barrier as well. "I just... needed some air."

The dark-haired man nodded, his own gaze travelling slowly over the city. "Vitya," Ilya began. "You and Yuuri haven't been speaking much today, have you? ... Is that my fault?"

"What?" Victor acted surprised at the assertion even though he knew that their newly formed friendship had everything to do with what was happening. It probably wasn't a good idea to tell his ex that, however. "No, no! Haha, we're just..." Victor searched his head for an excuse. "He's been tired today, but I'm sure he'll come around."

"Hm..."

The platinum blond stared at the brunette. The dark haired man seemed like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't quite get it out.

"How could you be grumpy in a place like this?" Ilya smiled, looking out at the skyline.

Victor shrugged with a sheepish chuckle. "Well you know... We've been out and about all week."

The other Russian man nodded, still staring out into the starry sky. "You know what this reminds me of?"

"What?"

"Remember the skyline in New York?"

Victor chuckled, one silver eyebrow raised over the other. "Really? _This_ reminds you of New York?" Fukuoka was pretty, sure, but it came nowhere near the rustling, bustling, bright neon nightlife of New York City.

"Well, I mean, this city is much smaller of course," Ilya admitted. "But I mean us standing at an observation deck. Remember, we went to the top of the Empire State Building for your birthday? Back when they had all the Christmas lights up?"

"Yes, I remember!"

"It was magnificent – all those twinkling lights and the soft snow drifting down slowly... The moon was full and you could see all the little people rushing around and singing Christmas carols..."

"I never really get to see New York before then," admitted Victor, smiling at the memory. He had been there for competitions, but back in those days, sightseeing was never something that was on the agenda. That was something he only really started doing when he was travelling with Yuuri.

"It was so magical," Ilya said softly, his blue eyes seeming quite dreamy as he stared at the city. "I was so happy to be there with you..."

Victor said nothing after that. His gaze fixated on two people down below – a couple, it looked like – holding hands as they strolled across the street. From where Victor was standing, it seemed they were giggling about something together. It reminded Victor of what brought him out there in the first place and his mood slowly deflated. He wished he could make Yuuri feel better so that they could go back to their happy selves again, like the couple practically skipping alongside each other, but what could he do? Victor had no idea, but Ilya had his gaze on the young couple too.

"Vitya," Ilya began, his voice quiet. The silver-haired Russian man turned his head toward him, giving him an expectant look. "I... I hope I made you happy back then too."

Victor inhaled, his heart beginning to pound nervously as he searched his brain for a proper response. Suddenly, this conversation was feeling more and more uncomfortable. "Well... Yes, you did... Back then." He felt the need to emphasize that these memories and all of the feelings associated with them were artifacts of the past.

Ilya straightened a little at that, still not meeting Victor's gaze. "To be honest, Vitya, I was hoping that by meeting here, maybe you would give me another chance to make you that happy again."

* * *

When he found that his chopsticks could no longer grab the food on his plate, Yuuri looked down to find that it was because he had eaten it all. With a sigh, he sat back in his seat. He was feeling horribly for the way he'd treated Victor all evening and the guilt had caused him to stress eat just like he did after his first Grand Prix Final. _This is ridiculous,_ Yuuri decided. _I'll just have to go and say sorry._

Eclipse was looking through her camera roll at all the pictures she had taken thus far that night before a worried look slowly crossed her features. Victor wasn't in any of them. Eclipse's eyes rose from the machine and darted around the table, but still no sign of her younger brother-in-law. She turned to Alexei then and tugged on his sleeve gently to get his attention.

"Hm?" he asked, and lowered his ear to her level so that she could whisper her message to him.

"Hey, did anyone see where Vitya went?" asked Alexei, straightening his back once Eclipse had finished.

"I believe he excused himself to go to the washroom," explained Yulia softly, one hand beneath the table and petting her brother's dog.

"He's been gone a while..." said Toshiya, glancing at his watch. "I wonder if someone should go check up on him...?"

Almost before his father could finish, Yuuri rose up from his seat. "I'll go."

Before anyone could say anything more about it, Yuuri was already gone, the Katsukis' and Nikiforovs' gazes on his quickly retreating back.

The Japanese skater was making a beeline toward the men's washroom until he saw a flicker of white like the signature Nikiforov hair colour out of the corner of his eye. He stopped in his tracks and turned to his right to see Victor standing there on the other side of the glass doors which lead to the observation deck. In front of his boyfriend was Ilya and it looked like they were having some sort of heated conversation. Slowly, Yuuri approached the glass and pushed the door open.

* * *

"What? What do you mean?"

Ilya was turned completely toward Victor now and began approaching him slowly. "Vitya... Look, there was no poetry retreat, okay? I just... I needed to talk to you. To see you one more time..."

"You... you tracked me to Hasetsu...?" Victor stammered, unconsciously stepping backward.

"Please just listen," Ilya pleaded, taking a step forward. "I was in so much pain when you left. I thought I would be fine eventually, but you were taken from me so abruptly that I didn't know how to even handle it."

"Ilya-"

"Just listen, please. I tried living without you, but I can't. I miss you so much. I miss travelling with you and eating with you and waking up next to you... I don't know why you were so unhappy with me. I did so much for you. But that's why I'm here."

"Ilya, please-" Victor's back was almost against the wall of the observatory at that point, but the other man did not halt his advance.

"I'm here to tell you I'm sorry. Whatever I did, I'm sorry. I need you back in my life, Vitya, and I know that you need me."

"Wh-" the platinum blond straightened up then and his eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?!"

"You need me just as much as I need you," said Ilya, a definitive tone in his voice. "I gave you everything. I gave you a lavish apartment, I gave you a luxurious lifestyle," without warning, he took Victor's hand then, the one wearing Yuuri's ring, and regarded the sentimental piece with disgust. " _I_ gave you a better ring..."

"Don't touch me!" Victor commanded sternly, snatching his hand back. He took a more defensive stance then, his new found bravery fueled by the offensive nature of the other man's comments. "Ilya, I want you to leave."

Just then, the glass doors of the observation deck opened and Yuuri's head peaked in curiously, immediately attracting the attention of both Russians.

"Vicchan...?" Yuuri asked. "And Ilya...?"

"Yuuri!" called Victor, looking incredibly relieved to see him. Ilya, however, glared venom over his shoulder at the smaller Japanese man that made him almost feel like finding a hole to cower in, but Yuuri froze at the door instead. What on Earth was going on?

Ilya had only paid attention to him for a second before turning back to Victor as if Yuuri didn't even exist. "I don't understand. How could you choose _him_ over _me_?!"

"That's enough, Ilya," Victor scowled coldly.

"What has he given you? A bedroom at his parents' tacky little inn and a cheap little ring?"

Victor's voice was dark now – darker than Yuuri thought was even possible. " _I said. That's. Enough._ "

"Or was it that disgusting display he put on that night?" Ilya growled, tightly grabbing at Victor's wrist again. "Is that all it takes to win you over? A little drunken striptease? Well, Victor?"

The platinum blond winced in pain before trying to pull his hand back, but Ilya was much stronger than he originally thought. "Let go!"

Yuuri's heart was pounding causing him to hyperventilate. A dangerous combination of fear and anger bubbled up deep inside of his stomach as he watched this man he felt he didn't even know hurting his boyfriend. His fists balled up at his sides. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. He had to do something. _Run_ , said a voice in Yuuri's head. _Call for help._

"Leave him alone!" Yuuri shouted at the larger man.

Ilya turned his terrifying gaze at the smaller man slowly. "Stay out of this, you skinny little bitch. This is all your fault to begin with."

_Go and get help,_ the voice in Yuuri's head continued to beg. _Sergei could handle this. Security could handle this. The police could handle this. **You** can't handle this!_

"Can't you see you're hurting him?" asked Yuuri. "Let him go, Ilya!"

"Yuuri, run!" yelled Victor, still bearing his teeth at his attacker through the pain.

_Do as Victor says and run._

"That's right, get out of here," the bigger Russian said over his shoulder. "We're trying to have a conversation, kid. Now get lost."

_Run away, Yuuri!_

"I'm not leaving! Vicchan, I'm not leaving you here alone!"

"Y-Yuuri...!"

Ilya rolled his eyes, turning back toward Victor. "Whatever. You won't do shit anyway."

_You can't do this by yourself. Go and get help, Yuuri!_

"Vitya, you're not thinking straight," said Ilya in a soft voice that betrayed his actions. "You're not thinking about your future. Do you really see a future here? You're not really so naive to think that a dinky little port town in the middle of nowhere is really a suitable place for a world champion, are you?"

"Just let go of me!" Victor spat. "I don't want to hear it! Let me go and then _never_ contact me again."

The other man's grip only tightened causing Victor to wince again. "Please, Vitya. Be reasonable."

"Fuck you..." Victor muttered piercingly under the increasing anger in Ilya's gaze. "Fuck you and all of the years I let you take from me..."

Neither of the men noticed Yuuri coming closer and closer to the situation. He had to stop this from happening. He didn't know how, but he just had to do something.

_Don't do anything! Just run!_

But he couldn't run. He couldn't leave Victor behind.

_Yuuri, Ilya's so much bigger than you._

That didn't matter.

_He's so much stronger than you._

None of that mattered. Victor was in pain. He had to stop it.

When he was finally close enough, Yuuri placed a shaking hand on Ilya's shoulder. Victor stared at him with wide-eyed horror. Ilya didn't even turn to face him.

"Ilya, please," Yuuri pleaded. "Enough of this. Please, just... go."

There was a long pause as the three men stood where they were. Yuuri couldn't see Ilya's expression. He was so scared, so unbelievably scared, but he didn't back down. He couldn't back down. Not when Victor was in trouble. Yuuri didn't know what he would do if anything happened to him.

Ilya's body seemed to relax then. His grip on Victor's arm loosened until the platinum blond could withdraw his hand back toward his body. His blue eyed gaze never left his assailant, however, and he was studying the man's blank expression to try to figure out what he would do next. Victor found he could read nothing from Ilya's face, but there was a bad feeling swirling in his stomach anyway like a terrible swarm of bees.

"Yuuri..." he choked, anxiety building within him, but Victor's mind seemed to freeze and he couldn't figure out what to tell his boyfriend to do.

Yuuri's hand remained where it was on Ilya's shoulder until the larger Russian straightened his back and slowly began to turn to face the young skater. His expression was unreadable, but he was already in the process of performing his next attack.

_Yuuri..._

The young man's eyes were wide with fear.

_... Duck._

It all happened so quickly. It couldn't have been more than half a second. The only thing Yuuri heard before the world faded to black was Victor screaming his name.

* * *

**Translations**

* * *

– Victor: "Hey, Ivanna. Vstavay." – Hey, Ivanna. Wake up.

– Ivanna: "Nyet, Mama... Ya ne khochu, chtoby idti k zubnomu vrachu...!" – No, Mama... I don't want to go to the dentist...!

– Ivanna: "Vitya? Vy stomatolog...?" – Vitya? You're a dentist...?

– Ivanna: "Ty stomatolog i figuristom?! Ya tak gorzhus' toboy, Vityaaaa! Kakoy ambitsioznyy mal'chik ty!" – You're a dentist and a figure skater?! I'm so proud of you, Vityaaaa! What an ambitious boy you are!

– Ilya: "Zdravstvuyte? Da, ummm... Mogu li ya pozvonit' vam pozzhe? ... Uh huh... Yes... Seychas ... Seychas ne podkhodyashcheye vremya... Okay... Da... Do svidaniya." – Hello? Yes, ummm... Can I call you back later? ... Uh huh... Yes... Now is... Now's not a good time... Okay... Yes... Goodbye.

* * *

It paaaains me to write my boys in pain, but alas... It must be done for the plot. ;_;

Ilya's ringtone was "Into the Moonlight" by Dream Evil and the other song on his phone was "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers.


	11. The Two-Hour Vacation

Hey, y'all! :) Here's chapter two for Sunday~

Prodi_J - I hated writing Yuuri getting hurt, but it'll be okay! Just keep reading. ^^ And thanks for your feedback~

* * *

_The Two-Hour Vacation_

* * *

" _... Sigh..._

_Well, Yuuri, you've really done it this time..._

_Are you gonna stay asleep like that forever? Come on now, get up._

_Open your eyes. We need to have a word with you."_

* * *

In Yuuri's mind, he could feel himself awakening, but it wasn't his physical self. His physical body was still too exhausted from the shock of what had happened. No, these were his mind's eyes which were fluttering open.

"Where... where am I?" asked Yuuri, groggily. "What happened...?"

What came into view was a large brightly lit room – a throne room much like the ones Yuuri imagined from his _A Game of Thrones_ novel, but this one was different. Before him were in fact three thrones side by side but elevated differently to resemble the block that skaters who came in first, second, and third place typically stand on to receive their medals. In first place, there was a magnificent throne made almost entirely of gold. It was simple in its design, but there was a certain strength that it exuded and these traits reminded Yuuri of the rings he had bought for himself and Victor. In second place, there was a throne which appeared to be made entirely of roses, thorny vines twisting almost sensually around the curved legs and petals laying about the ground underneath. In third place was a throne which puzzled Yuuri because it seemed to be made of some sort of unpolished diamond. It could have easily been the most glorious of the bunch, but someone's quick and lazy design had left it lacking the lustre it obviously possessed.

Yuuri stood before them and, giving himself a once-over, he realized he was wearing his blue outfit from his Yuri on Ice program. _What is going on?_ he wondered, and before he could finish that thought, there was a voice.

"Yuuri Katsuki, age twenty-four. A dime-a-dozen figure skater from Japan. An embarrassing failure of a human being. A pork cutlet bowl fatale who ensnares men... Step forward."

The young man looked up and almost fell backward when he found the three thrones not only occupied, but sitting atop them were three different versions of him. In the first place throne of gold sat a Yuuri in his Stay Close to Me attire, looking down at him like a judge of souls. The Yuuri in second place was his Eros self, spread lazily upon his rosy throne and looking very self assured. The third Yuuri was by far the most pitiful Yuuri – dressed in the blue and white outfit he'd donned at his first terrible Grand Prix Final and sitting rather uncomfortably upon the unpolished diamond, twiddling his thumbs in his lap.

"What the..." Yuuri muttered. After a pause, he groaned. "This is weird..."

"Step forward please," the first self repeated in a slightly more commanding tone that caused the original to jump into place.

"Um..." Yuuri said as he looked about him. "W-where am I?"

"Don't worry yourself over that, Yuuri," said the first. "We're only figments of your consciousness."

"Figments of my what...?"

"We're not real, tiger," said the second with a chuckle, elegantly plucking a rose from his throne and looking at it in his hand. "This is all in that pretty little head of yours."

"So um, what happened exactly...?" Yuuri asked then.

" _Sigh_... Ilya knocked your block off," replied the third Yuuri, a depressed look on his face. "Completely wrecked your shit. One hit K.O.. It was super effective. You were down for the count. And Vicchan was there!" he buried his face in his hands then, seemingly embarrassed. "Vicchan saw everything..."

"Alright, alright," the first tried to comfort him. "That's enough doom and gloom, Insecurity."

The third Yuuri brought his knees up to his chin and muttered things the original couldn't even hear, a dark cloud seeming to form around his pitiful form. The other two just sighed and then turned their attention back to young man in front of them.

" _Anyway_ ," the first sighed. "Let me introduce myself... I'm you."

"I'm you too..." whispered the third.

"We're _all_ you, sugar," said the second, finally turning away from his rose.

"But-" Yuuri paused to think. "I don't understand..."

The first stood from his golden throne. "Well, we're all aspects of your self, so we're all you. I am Love," he pointed at the piteous little ball of sadness beside him. "That's Insecurity," and then the confident second one who was currently winking seductively. "And that's Eros. He's new, but you've been using him quite a lot recently."

"That's not _entirely_ true," said Eros, laxly propping up his head on his elbow. "I've always been around, but it wasn't until we met our sexy little Russian friend that I really started to shine," Eros let out a deep, sensuous laugh then. "That's when you started getting all kinds of... thoughts... and feelings that you never really had before and all you wanted to do was take Victor in your arms, shove your lips against his, savour the taste of him, and then dip lower and lower, showering your affection upon his firm, soft body until you've finally reached his throbbing, eager-"

"Alright, you slut, we get it," interrupted Insecurity, face completely red and glaring weakly at Eros.

Eros just scoffed at him and turned up his nose. "Hey, I can be as much of a ' _slut'_ as I want to as far as my man is concerned, okay?"

Insecurity grumbled, and Love only facepalmed at the typical sorts of back-and-forth he had to deal with on a regular basis.

"Okay... So let me get this straight..." Yuuri said, looking at each of them. "None of this is real. I'm just dreaming because I got knocked unconscious by Ilya. And the three of you represent an attempt by my conscious mind to be introspective and delve into the realm of my subconscious mind...?"

"Yup," Love nodded.

"Pretty much," Eros sighed.

"Great," said Yuuri, trying to be okay with the fact that he was currently talking to three of himself, but failing miserably. "Just... great..."

"But let's not forget why you're really here," said Love, sitting back down and crossing his legs dramatically. "We need to talk, Yuuri. It's about Victor."

"Yes..." Eros nearly whispered, sitting up in his rose throne, a sterner look coming over his soft features. "Yuuri Katsuki, how dare you?"

The original Yuuri looked shocked. "... What?"

"How dare you treat Victor the way you've been treating him?" the Eros Yuuri accused.

"W-what did I do?"

Love sighed. "Yuuri, how is it that you believed you had any right to snap at Victor the way you did when he's been nothing but open and upfront about everything in this relationship even while you've held back?"

"Held... back...?" Yuuri stammered.

"Yes," said Love, giving the original self a serious look. "You felt jealous of Ilya while he was dancing with Victor because deep down, there's a small part of you-" and he shot a glance at Insecurity then. "-that still believes you're not good enough for him... That he'll leave you some day because you're somehow inadequate by your very nature. It's not true, of course, but that's how you feel. And you blamed it on Victor when you lashed out at him."

"And you have no reason not to trust Victor's feelings at all, mind you," Eros interjected. "Because unlike you, he makes his feelings very clear."

"If you keep this up, Yuuri," Love continued. "This jealousy, pushing Victor away, not opening yourself up when he's completely opened himself for you... _That's_ what will drive him away."

Anxiety built up inside of Yuuri at the thought of Victor leaving because of his own behaviour, but they were right. He didn't mean for any of this to happen, but when he remembered the brief look of hurt that shot across Victor's face when he'd snubbed him the first time, he just wanted to turn back time, take the Russian man in his arms, tell him he was sorry, and gently whisper his love for him in his ear, promise he'd never hurt him again. Why hadn't he done it all sooner?

"We're afraid," whispered Insecurity as if he could read Yuuri's thoughts, and surely he could. "We've never been this vulnerable to another person before. Love says we should trust Victor, but somehow, we're still scared of being hurt. Cast aside..."

"But he won't!" Eros said forcefully, pounding both hands on the arms of his throne. "He loves us! He said so himself!"

"Who could love us?" asked Insecurity.

"We are worthy of love," Love itself replied. "There may always be a part of us that thinks differently, but that's why we need to march forward and take risks. Because we can't hold ourselves back like this. We can't push love away."

The three continued to argue back and forth and at this point, Yuuri was only watching them, agreeing with what one would say only to completely change his mind when a statement was challenged. They just argued and argued and argued until their voices all seemed to be merging into one. Eventually, the young man's head seemed to be filled with nothing but consistent orderly chaos. Yuuri held his head. He couldn't take all of the noise.

"Enough!" he yelled and just like that, the chatter ceased. Yuuri looked up at the three phantoms before him and each only looked back. If this was the kind of thing that went on in his head on a regular basis, no wonder he was so anxious all the time. "Look, I realized... I maybe conflicted about a lot of things, including the way I feel about myself, but there's one thing I know for sure..."

The phantoms waited with baited breaths to hear what Yuuri was about to say even though they must have already felt it.

"I love Victor," admitted Yuuri finally, putting one hand over his heart as if the feelings would spew out like agitated wine from a bottle if he didn't. "I've always known. And you're right – it isn't fair to treat him like he's still not trustworthy when he's given himself to me entirely... And I haven't done the same for him..." he closed his eyes then, the other hand finding its way over his heart as well. "I'll do it. I'll apologize for what I did, and then, I'll tell him."

There was silence in the throne room for a while. Love seemed satisfied, Eros smiled, and even little Insecurity lifted his head to give Yuuri a small smile.

"So, you've decided then," Love said softly.

Yuuri nodded, full of resolve. "Yes."

"In that case..." Content, Love lifted his hand dismissively. "Meeting adjourned."

* * *

Instead of the world going black, this time, a white light flooded Yuuri's vision and he could not see where he was. He could faintly detect a voice at his side which might have been calling his name, but everything was so foggy for a few seconds until things began coming into focus... A wooden paneled ceiling, blue bed sheets, pictures of Makkachin... He was back in his bedroom at Hasetsu. Finding his body exhausted, Yuuri groaned as he turned to the side where someone was definitely calling his name.

"Yuuri? Yuuri, my boy, wake up!"

The skater blinked. "... Dr. Takeda...?"

There at his bedside stood the rather short old Dr. Takeda, a local physician and a regular at the hot spring. The last time Yuuri saw him was way back when Victor was trying to do some weird sort of naked ballet with Yuuri in the spring only for them to look over and see that they had drawn a crowd at the window.

"Thank you, God!" Dr. Takeda had said back then, both hands clasped in prayer at the thought that the lonely little Katsuki boy he'd known as a friend of the Katsuki family for so long was finally experiencing some type of romance, whatever it even was. "Thank you!"

Yuuri's body shot up at the memory, embarrassment lighting his face on fire. "D-Dr. Takeda!"

"Whoa, easy there, boy!" the doctor warned, placing his hands on the younger man's shoulders. "You had a pretty nasty blow to the head there. Nothing serious – I don't even think you'll bruise too much – but you do need to relax a little."

Yuuri sighed, calming down a little. He really wanted to just get up, find Victor and talk to him, but he supposed that getting himself hurt all over again wouldn't help matters. But where was his boyfriend anyway?

"Doctor..." Yuuri said. "I can go and see Vicchan though, right?"

Takeda paused for a moment, and suddenly his brown eyes were looking about him as if he were nervous about something. "Well, son... You see..."

* * *

A lot had happened in the few hours when Yuuri passed out. The last thing he remembered before parting from reality and entering his internal dream world was Victor screaming his name. After that, everything for Yuuri went blank, and he didn't see his boyfriend run to his side, on the verge of tears, shouting his name over and over. He didn't see Ilya, who seemed to have finally snapped out of the furious blur he was in, just stare at the scene in front of him, wide-eyed and looking as though he were in shock at his own actions. The Russian brunette stumbled backwards slightly. His movements were awkward like he didn't know what to do.

"Ah- I... Oh my God, I..." Ilya stuttered. "He... He touched me, I-"

"SHUT UP!" Victor snapped, his head spinning around quickly so he could shoot a nasty glare at Ilya through misty aquamarine eyes. Even though tears were threatening to fall, Victor's voice was so low, so dark, it wouldn't be unreasonable for one to worry that he might lose his mind and try to exact revenge. "You bastard! I never want to see you again!"

Ilya froze as if he were deciding whether to try to diffuse the situation or just run. Victor regarded him over his shoulder for a second before turning back to Yuuri. Ilya was really doing his best to seem apologetic, as if he had just acted purely out of passion in the spur of the moment, but Victor knew now that it was almost impossible for him to understand Ilya's true intentions. Even after all of this, there was still a small part of him that desperately wanted to see that familiar lonely sensitive man whose faults all stemmed from the fact that he didn't know how to express himself, but the glowing blood red eye of a very dangerous monster was peaking out at Victor from inside of Ilya's shadow. It was something he had sworn he had seen before from the very corner of his vision - something so fleeting that he convinced himself it didn't exist, but Victor wasn't the same man anymore who would write off something so horrendous even if he had only just barely glimpsed it. Now, after it had attacked his beloved, the beast seemed so very naked.

From inside of the tower, the drama on the observation deck was beginning to draw a crowd.

"What's going on out there?" asked a heavily accented voice unfamiliar to both Victor and Ilya. It was that of a staff member at the tower.

"Sorera no hito wa tatakatte imasu ka?!" asked another somewhat panicked voice.

"Security wa doko desu ka?!"

"Tasukete! Kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai! Kare wa shukketsu shitemasu!"

Victor was holding Yuuri close to his chest, not caring if the blood now pouring from his nose got on his clothing. He regarded Yuuri sadly, a wave of guilt rushing over him as the tears began to overflow. He didn't even see Ilya, who was somehow able to disappear into the growing crowd before anyone even noticed he was gone. Ilya didn't ask if Yuuri was alright. As apologetic as he looked, he didn't even say he was sorry.

"What's going on here?" asked a member of the crowd who had come forward. Victor looked up tearfully to see Oksana making her way over, her eyes going wide when she saw Yuuri unconscious on the floor. "Y-Yuura!"

"Oksana!" Victor called, his chest now heaving with his sadness. "Please... Help..."

An ambulance had arrived shortly thereafter and diagnosed Yuuri's condition. He was stable, of course, and probably just passed out from the shock and anxiety of the situation. As for his nosebleed, it too was nothing serious. The group ended up taking him home by the end of the night and, still very worried, Hiroko called Dr. Takeda to do a home visit and give Yuuri one more check up to make sure everything was in working order. Meanwhile, Victor had stopped crying by the time they got home, but he was still visibly very upset. His grey head seemed to hang in shame, he wouldn't speak to anyone, he would just stare off into the distance and sometimes, his blue eyes would seem to look glossy once again until he'd blink it away. As they all sat in the living room of the Katsuki residence, Alexei made a move to try to comfort him, but held back. Being that he was the closest to Ilya of all of them, he felt partially responsible and just couldn't face his little brother right now. Toshiya couldn't stand the tension anymore and excused himself to the kitchen where he planned on making tea for everyone. Anastasia sat on Victor's right side, holding her son's hands in hers tightly. Vladimir was beside her, offering Victor a sympathetic look as he leaned on his cane. Ivanna just stared at the floor angrily from where she sat across them and Yulia beside her leaned on her sister for comfort. Eclipse clung to Alexei's arm, her expression looking a little bit panicked. Oksana stood beside her, looking off into the distance as if she were deep in thought. Hiroko wiped the tears that were falling from her face and Mari had her arms around her mother almost protectively, as if someone would come after her too like they did her little brother. Even Makkachin seemed a little bit gloomy, peering over Victor's knees and up at his face. He licked Victor's hand to let him know he was there, but it didn't seem to help too much. It did earn him a rather pitiful pet on his head, so it wasn't an entirely fruitless effort, but still, everything was silent.

Sergei glanced around at all of the gloomy faces before he pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning against and made his way over to the couch that his baby brother was sitting on, grabbing a seat for himself beside the much smaller man and wrapping his bulky arm over his firm shoulders. "Vitya... Please don't be sad. Everything is alright now."

Victor shook his head and spoke quietly. "It's not alright. Yuuri got hurt because of me."

"It wasn't your fault," said Alexei, a pained look on his face. "You couldn't have known that Ilya would do that."

"It doesn't matter," said his younger brother gloomily. "I was still the one who put him in harm's way. He...," Victor's eyes looked glassy again. "He just... didn't want to leave me there alone... That's why this happened."

Alexei stood back, unsure of what to say next.

Ivanna couldn't take it anymore. "I knew something like this would happen. I knew it from the start, back when you introduced him to Vitya," sensing where this was going, Yulia grasped her sister's shoulder, but the other woman continued. "Men that old don't just get into relationships with young people for no reason. They're looking for someone who's beneath them; someone who will be too naive to know that what seems like a willingness to care for them is actually just manipulation. I knew it from the start."

"I know!" Alexei exclaimed, Eclipse jumping slightly at his side. "I know that now and I'm sorry, but how could I have predicted this?"

"You didn't need to know that Ilya could turn violent," Ivanna argued, her voice raising slightly. "You were just so damn worried about finding Vitya a new father-"

"Please! No fighting, please," Anastasia pleaded, but her pleas were ignored.

"I wanted to be sure he would be safe!" Alexei shot back.

"Ivanna..." Yulia whispered, but she was unheard.

"So you found him a predator," the older sister concluded. "Great job."

Alexei snarled then, not noticing Eclipse as she tugged desperately at his sleeve, her expression reflecting an elevated level of panic. "What about you then, huh? You could have said something!"

"Stop it! Fuck!" Mari demanded when she noticed that the arguing what negatively affecting Hiroko.

"Unlike you, _I_ at least try to respect Vitya's agency," Ivanna explained. "I didn't want to just _tell_ him Ilya had bad tendencies. I knew he would find that out himself, but if I just decided for him, that wouldn't be respecting him as an adult, now would it?"

"Bullshit," her brother shot back. "You had no idea either – admit it."

They continued to argue back and forth and Sergei was about to shout at them to stop until he noticed Victor rising from his seat and exiting the room, Makkachin trotting along by his side. "Vitya? Where are you-"

"I'm taking Makkachin for a walk," Victor said plainly, already throwing on his coat and rushing out the door as Sergei watched him disappear into the night. His eyes lingering on the now closed front door, Sergei barely noticed Eclipse backed into a corner, her eyes full to the brim with anxiety as she silently clicked the button on her camera with shaking hands. She had given up on trying to get her husband's attention. Even in a situation like this, or perhaps, _especially_ in a situation like this, she had to have pictures of what was happening.

* * *

Yuuri thanked Dr. Takeda as he exited his bedroom. Apparently, Victor had gone out to walk Makkachin while he was out in the midst of some sort of argument the family was having. Dr. Takeda didn't know what the fight was about or who started it because he wanted to stay out as much as he could, but he had seen Victor duck out with his dog before the argument was over. Yuuri sighed deeply against his pillow. Where had Victor gone? How had everything become this?

Slowly, Yuuri reached for his cellphone and scrolled through his contacts until he could tap on Victor's picture. Pulling the phone up to his ear, he heard it ring, and ring, and ring. _Come on_ , Yuuri thought. _Pick up!_ But the message went to Victor's voicemail.

"Hey there! This is Victor Nikiforov," said Victor's cheerful pre-recorded voice. "Yuuri and I are probably practicing, so if you want to leave a message, I'll get back to you later. Ciao ciao!"

Yuuri hanged up before the machine could beep. Either Victor didn't bring his phone with him or he was avoiding Yuuri on purpose. He sighed a little before popping the electronic back on his nightstand and turning onto his back. Just then, there was a knock at his bedroom door.

"Come in," called Yuuri softly.

The door crept open and in stepped a shaking Eclipse, not even bothering to ask if she could enter.

"E-Eclipse?" Yuuri stammered. This was the first time she had ever been in his bedroom and he could not remember ever seeing her look to frazzled before. Eclipse shut the door and then sat against it with her knees up to her chin, clutching a small book against her chest. Her dark eyes were wide with fear and her chest heaved with every breath she took. Yuuri realized finally that she looked like she was having a panic attack. He got up from his bed with his hands in front of him, wondering what to do, until Eclipse reached out for him anxiously.

"Y-you... You want me to sit with you?"

The little Polish woman nodded desperately and seemed a small bit more relieved when Yuuri hesitantly took her hand in his. Before he knew it, Yuuri was sitting on the floor, holding Eclipse against him as she shook and whimpered at the memory of the argument outside. He was a little uncomfortable at first, realizing that this was the first time he'd ever held a woman, but the thought was soon dashed away when he realized that Eclipse was beginning to calm down a little bit. Yuuri was happy to think that he'd made her feel a little more like herself.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked.

Eclipse put on a smile and tilted her head back and forth to indicate a "kind of". Her heart still pounded in her chest, but she was panicking a lot less. Then, Eclipse reached around her neck for her camera, taking the necklace portion off for a second to boot it up. Yuuri thought she might start taking pictures like she normally did until she changed the camera mode so they could look at her roll. She skimmed it quickly before finding what she needed: One picture of an angry looking Ivanna, another of Alexei matching her anger, and then the third was Victor leaving with Makkachin. Yuuri bit his lip. So it was those two who were fighting.

"So that's what's been going on out there..."

Eclipse nodded sadly.

"It must be about Ilya..."

She nodded again, pressing the off button on her camera now that she no longer needed it. Eclipse then nudged Yuuri to get his attention, flashing him a reassuring smile when he looked at her. Eclipse gestured to the baby blue book she was holding between her chest and legs, pulling it out to show him. The cover of the book had cut outs of Piglet and Winnie the Pooh – probably stuck on by the Polish woman herself.

"Oh, what's that?" asked Yuuri curiously.

Eclipse straightened her legs so that she could open the book in front of her. Yuuri could hardly believe his eyes when he looked inside. Upon the pages were many of the beautiful pictures Eclipse took that week, arranged neatly into creative scenes and mounted upon artistic backdrops with stickers and pieces of things stuck wherever they fit best. There were pictures of everyone laughing together, pictures of family members posing with statues and animals and other interesting things, pictures of he and Victor together looking cute or silly or both. The photos were placed upon attractively designed scrapbook paper and there were a few pressed plants plucked from some of the gardens and parks they had visited. There was even a short page of Tigger and Eeyore where Eclipse had placed pictures of Yurio and Otabek. Yuuri stared in awe as she slowly flipped through the pages to give him a chance to take it all in and he realized why Eclipse's camera gave her so much comfort. This was how she communicated with others. Alexei was one of the few people she felt comfortable using her tiny voice with, but her camera gave her a whole new world of possibilities to have conversations with people outside of that small circle. Her anxiety couldn't stop her photography the way it restricted her speech.

The last page in the scrapbook was an adorable picture of Victor and Yuuri sharing a quick kiss which they had probably thought nothing of in the moment, but through Eclipse's transformative eyes and thus her camera, it looked almost like a wedding photo with the sunlight hitting them in a way that made them both seem to glow with happiness.

"Wow, Eclipse," Yuuri muttered softly. "Thank you so much for sharing this with me. You caught some breathtaking photos."

The Polish woman smiled broadly, her anxiety having finally disappeared. The Japanese man returned the smile, but then looked a little surprised when she was insistently pushing the now closed book into his lap.

"What? You want me to keep this...?"

She nodded.

"Oh, I couldn't! You worked so hard on it. I..."

Eclipse stood then to grab a pen that had been laying on Yuuri's nightstand. She turned the scrapbook over and started writing something in the corner. When she was finished, she passed it to the figure skater again and he turned the book over in his hands to read the message.

_Prosiaczek_ _,_

_Thank you for helping me during my panic attack. Thank you also for sharing your home and your country with us. Thank you for making Kubuś Puchatek so happy. I want you to have this scrapbook. I can tell already that you and Kubuś Puchatek are going to be my favourite little brothers-in-law._

_~Eclipse_

The young skater's heart felt like it was going to burst with warmth. "Aww, Eclipse...!" but then, realization of that last thing she said in her note finally hit him. Yuuri's entire face flushed brightly. "W-wait... ' _Little brothers-in-law_ '?"

Eclipse grinned widely at him. She had already gotten up from her place and walked over to the chair at Yuuri's desk where his winter jacket hung. Taking it up in her arms, she made her way back over and handed the article of clothing to the young man. He understood immediately.

"I should go and find Vicchan..."

Eclipse responded this an affirmative look. Full of resolve, Yuuri nodded then and pulled on the jacket. "Thank you, Eclipse."

* * *

Things were still tense outside when Yuuri left, so he told Eclipse that she could spend as long as she liked hiding out in his bedroom. He let her know where all his books were and even logged into his laptop for her so she could use the internet if she wanted to. She smiled at him gratefully and then pulled him into a surprise embrace which shocked him at first, but he happily returned it. Then as they parted, Eclipse gave him a hearty slap on the back. The message was clear: _Now go find him._ Yuuri chuckled before bidding her goodbye.

Now, he was jogging around Hasetsu wondering where on Earth his boyfriend could have run off to.

_Inside the closet lies the memory of that night,_

_Waiting patiently for the next time, in plain sight._

Yuuri finally arrived at Ice Castle Hasetsu thinking that maybe Victor had come for some after hours practice, but he found the rink empty instead.

"No, sorry..." said Yuuko, putting away the last pair of rental skates on the rack. "I haven't seen him... Is everything okay?"

Out of breath, Yuuri nodded and tried to smile at her. "It's fine. Just, if he happens to come here, could you tell him to call me?"

Yuuko seemed to know there was more going on, but she decided not to pry. "Yeah, sure Yuuri."

The young man nodded as he made his way back to the front door. "Thanks Yuuko. Good night!"

_Days pass us by and soon the everyday turns mundane._

_But then you flew here on wings of steel. You said my name,_

_And then took my hand in yours._

_Their gazes no longer on our backs,_

_We slipped out through the door._

Yuuri finally stopped running at the bridge where he stared out at the darkening horizon. He'd just come from Minako's place and there was no sign of Victor there either. _Damn it, Vicchan,_ he thought to himself. _Where the hell have you gone?_

He checked his phone again. No new messages. Yuuri dialed the number and waited. Nothing. _Damn it, why won't you answer your phone?!_

Yuuri rested his head on his left hand and stared at the glowing screen with a picture of Victor stealing a peck on the cheek from an unsuspecting Yuuri and winking at the camera beside his contact information. _Why is he avoiding me?_ Yuuri's insecurity seemed to gnaw at his insides. _He doesn't want me anymore. I knew it. He never wanted me-_

 _No_. Yuuri inhaled. _You know that isn't true. Don't let your insecurity get the best of you. Victor's around somewhere, I just need to find him._

It was then that the Japanese skater heard a familiar barking coming from the beach down below. _No way._

He looked closer through the darkness of the nighttime and couldn't believe his eyes when he caught a glimpse of moonlight grey strands of hair. Quickly, Yuuri scampered over to the stairway which lead to the sand, nearly tripping on his way down. When he was finally on the ground again, he sprinted over to the man with the dog.

"Victor!" Yuuri cried out. It was his only warning before his body collided with that of the taller man. He heard Victor grunt softly on impact as he wrapped his arms around the Russian's larger form.

"Y-Yuuri?!"

_Keep on pressing forward in the morning light._

_Escape to ocean after eventide._

_Not a word was spoken of this special day,_

_But somehow I find myself on my way._

_Can't we slip away for just an hour or two?_

_Only water knows our secret rendezvous._

_Years could never satisfy these strong feelings,_

_But even minutes feel like a blessing._

_Ah~_

The Japanese man buried his face in Victor's shoulder, inhaling his scent as he panted from running for so long. "I found you..." he said softly.

Victor was speechless so he wrapped his arms around Yuuri's waist and pressed his face into the younger man's dark hair. They stood like that for a moment, Makkachin walking around them and wagging his tail to welcome Yuuri. Then suddenly, the Japanese skater pushed Victor away with all of the force he had left causing the figure skating champion to stumble backwards.

"Yuuri! W-what..."

"You jerk!" Yuuri said, his eyebrows furrowing. "Why weren't you answering your phone?! I was worried about you, you know."

The Russian man opened his blue eyes even wider. " _You_ were worried about _me_...? Yuuri... _I_ should be worried about _you_."

"I know, I know," replied Yuuri, his voice and expression more calm now. "I'm the one who got hurt, I know. But still, I had no idea where you were. And I need you now more than ever."

Victor looked down almost shamefully. He saw the calls. He just hadn't the heart to answer. But he didn't mean to make Yuuri worry.

Minutes later, the two of them were sitting beside each other, watching the waves roll in and out just as they had months prior, Makkachin sitting by their side. The sea gulls were gone this time – either sleeping or having headed to some warmer place until the winter blows over. They had been quiet for a little while, neither knowing quite what he wants to say or where he wishes to start.

"I'm so sorry, Yuuri," Victor nearly whispered, still staring at the sand beneath him.

"For running off without letting me know where...?" Yuuri asked.

"Well, _that_ ," his boyfriend chuckled thinly. "But also for getting you into this mess."

"... It's alright," said the younger man, staring at his shoes. "Don't worry about it."

"No, it's _not_ alright," Yuuri looked over to see Victor's expression contort into something painful. "I let him do it again. I let him manipulate me. He used to do it all the time when we were together, but every time, I just fall into the same trap. He makes me feel guilty, fools me into believing he's changed, and then he does shit like this. The only difference this time is that I'm not the only one who got hurt, and I'm definitely not the one who was hurt the most."

_Here comes the part of every fairytale, those shed tears..._

_The part no one ever wants to hear._

_I'm at home when I wake up and see you there._

_But somehow, these demons will find me with you no matter where._

"I'm sorry, Yuuri," Victor continued, his head hanging. "It's my fault. If I could have just said no to him... If I weren't foolish enough to give him another chance... He wouldn't have hit you or ruined all the fun everyone was having."

"But Vicchan," Yuuri interjected. "You had no way of knowing he would do what he did. He fooled all of us. Even I really didn't think he was such a bad guy for a while."

"But I knew him best out of all of everyone. Why couldn't I see through this? ... Why didn't he just hit _me_?"

The Japanese skater wasn't sure what else to say. He didn't blame Victor at all, but how could he let him know that? A feeling of helplessness began to form inside of Yuuri's chest. It reminded him of the time in Barcelona when he had told Victor he would retire. He didn't mean to make the other man cry, but he did. For the rest of that night, they said nothing to each other. Victor went into the bathroom at some point and called someone, but all Yuuri could hear was his voice speaking softly in Russian and sometimes shaking a little like he had begun crying again. There he stayed until eventually Yuuri had to go to sleep, and then sometime past midnight, Victor emerged once more. His raven-haired bedmate pretended to be asleep as he listened to the Russian slowly approach the bed. He sat down on his side then looked at Yuuri in the darkness for a second over his shoulder before finally laying down. By the time morning came, Yuuri remembered that Victor didn't look like he'd gotten much sleep, but he was talking again and trying to look supportive even though his wounds were still obvious. He hadn't mentioned a word about the conversation they'd had the night before. Neither of them did. Yuuri just wanted so badly to say something to his coach that would fix everything, but instead, he said nothing or very little. Even though he thought he was doing the right thing, he felt so helpless, and this was more of the same. What could he do or say to make Victor understand?

_Keep on pressing forward for our families._

_Sneak away and drive around the country._

_We can satisfy our whims and play this game._

_I can't help feeling I'm the one to blame._

_Can't we slip away for just a hour or two?_

_Anywhere is beautiful when I'm with you._

_Yearning was the downfall of one thousand men,_

_But I still ask when I'll see you again._

The only sounds were the wind gently drifting past them and the waves crashing against each other only to fall back down and become one again with the ocean. Yuuri gazed at the water thoughtfully.

"I... I'd do it again, you know."

Victor looked at him. "What?"

"I'd do it again. I don't regret what happened. I don't even regret getting punched in the face. I know you feel badly because you feel like you put me in harm's way, but technically, I kind of put _myself_ in harm's way by staying there with you... I knew that and yet I chose to stay."

"Yuuri..."

"And honestly, if Ilya were right here, right now, I would make the same decision all over again. I _wanted_ to protect you, Vicchan. I want to always protect you."

The Japanese man's hand had found its way across the space between them and gently intertwined with Victor's. The ring on the Russian man's finger reflected the full moonlight as it moved to entangle its own fingers with Yuuri's.

_Look now, stars are flying past us,_

_Giving me a head rush._

_You only live once so please just kiss me,_

_Underneath the night sky,_

_As the waves roll so high,_

_Now I can't come down, oh~ baby,_

_Come now, call in sick and cut class._

_Run across the wet grass._

_The moment won't last too long but maybe,_

_When they cover their eyes,_

_You can show me that smile._

_I can't forget how you look at me._

Everything was quiet again for a moment while Victor digested his lover's words. He still felt terribly that Yuuri was assaulted trying to help him, but having him here beside him and Yuuri using his thumb to gently stroke the side of his hand was making him feel a little better.

"I mean, wouldn't you have done the same for me?" Yuuri asked.

Victor's head shot up to face him. "What? ... Yes! Of course."

"I know you would have," smiled the other man. "So I guess you know how I feel!"

Slowly, a smile crossed the white-haired man's face as he gazed into his boyfriend's shining eyes, the moon behind Yuuri's head looking almost like a halo that illuminated his very being. But Yuuri hardly needed the moonlight in order to sparkle the way he was - Victor knew that. On Yuuri's side, he thought about how it was nice to see Victor smiling again after everything that happened. The younger figure skater moved himself closer, breaking the connection they'd created with their hands before to establish a new one as he wrapped an arm around Victor's form and pulled him close. Victor in turn slid his arm securely around Yuuri's waist and let him lean into his shoulder.

"I want to protect you too, Yuuri," Victor whispered into the other man's soft dark hair. "Always..."

_Keep on pressing forward in the morning light._

_Escape to ocean after eventide._

_Not a word was spoken of this special day,_

_But somehow we find ourselves on our way._

_Can't we slip away for just an hour or two?_

_Only water knows our secret rendezvous._

_Years could never satisfy these strong feelings,_

_But even minutes feel like a blessing._

_Ah~_

They sat in silence for a long time after that, but it wasn't awkward like before. Now, they were just enjoying each other's presence and the feel of their bodies so close together. The two stayed with each other, listening to how the wind and waves seemed to be so in sync with their beating hearts, watching the stars and moon that danced across the sky as if to celebrate their union. Even the chilly temperatures appeared to raise just a little to create a more comfortable atmosphere, or perhaps it was just the gentle heat radiating off of their bodies in an attempt to protect the other from the midnight tempest. The couple stayed out for a total of about two hours before finally deciding to head back home. Makkachin couldn't understand their words, but he could see that something about his owners felt lighter than it did before as they walked next to him, holding hands. If he could have smiled at them, he would have, but since he was only a dog, he just wagged his tail and skipped along down the sidewalk until they reached the onsen once more.

* * *

Translations

* * *

– Stranger: "Sorera no hito wa tatakatte imasu ka?!" – Are those guys fighting?!

– Stranger: "Security wa doko desu ka?!" – Where is security?!

– Stranger: "Tasukete! Kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai! Kare wa shukketsu shitemasu!" – Help! Call an ambulance! He's bleeding!

* * *

The song in this chapter is actually "Nijikan Dake no Vacance" (or "The Two-Hour Vacation") by Hikaru Utada featuring Shiina Ringo, but I created English lyrics because I wanted you all to understand what the words were and I thought it flowed better than just putting a straight translation. Something about this some reminds me of these two so much (no, it's just just the fact that the song is also about gay romance lol) and I wanted to try my best to capture the feelings of the original. Eh, you might notice that I included a few references to YOI or Victuuri itself wherever they fit, but other than that, I tried to stay as close to the original meaning as possible. lol! I strongly suggest you either find the original song on Tumblr or check out a cover on Youtube (might I suggest the one by Uh. Channel?) while you read this. I like to think that all of Utada's parts represent Yuuri speaking and Ringo's parts are Victor's. :3 I hope you enjoyed!


	12. Every Little Thing He Does is Magic

Second chapter for Sunday and the second last chapter overall! :D I remember feeling a little sad when I wrote this chapter and the next because I realized that it was all coming to an end, but I also felt satisfied for having finished this project too. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Prodi_J - Haha, I had the most fun writing Eros!Yuuri. xD He says all the things that Yuuri feels but is too embarrassed to say... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  Thanks for your feedback~!

ValentineSin13 - Thanks for the reviews! :) About your question, yes, Ilya was abusive to Victor in their relationship, but not physically abusive. Ilya's a very manipulative person, so Victor didn't even realize for a long time that he was being mentally and emotionally abused... Well, I guess it's more like he didn't _accept_ it, not that he didn't entirely know. Victor was younger and thus more naive, but he still knew something felt off - he just never let himself realize what it was. Then, he met Yuuri and subconsciously, it was as if he'd finally found a way to escape. He finally had an excuse to break up with Ilya, but even that came with a punishment because Victor saw himself as the bad guy for breaking up with Ilya so abruptly and over the phone. For a long time, he had a lot of complicated feelings about the whole situation for because while he did feel bad, he also felt like he had a reason to run away from that relationship. But basically, yeah, Victor was abused by Ilya even if he didn't fully accept it at the time.

* * *

_Every Little Thing He Does is Magic_

* * *

As soon as Yuuri got home with Victor and Makkachin that Wednesday night, Oksana was there with an ice pack and some pain killers. She wanted to chastise him for leaving without properly caring for his eye, but when she saw how content the couple was, she understood why he'd neglected to do so. As soon as Yuuri got in, Oksana whisked him away to his bedroom to have another look at him. Since Dr. Takeda only spoke Japanese, she'd had to ask Mari what his recommendation was.

"He shouldn't swell up too bad," the doctor had said before leaving. "Just give him some ice. He can have pain killers if he needs them. The blood vessels in the eye and nose are pretty close, so that's likely why he has a nosebleed. Since the paramedics said that should be fine and it doesn't look broken, I won't assume it's anything serious, but remember to call me if his condition worsens."

"Alright," said Mari as she held the door for him. "Thanks again, doctor."

The old man nodded at her before he left the house and the door closed behind him. It was then that Oksana's rosy little head peaked out slowly from behind the corridor, her thick red eyebrows pointing upwards with worry.

"Mari," she muttered. "What did he say? Will Yuura be alright?"

"He should be fine," the Japanese woman explained. "The doctor recommended ice and pain killers. He said we should call him again if things get worse."

Later, Yuuri found himself holding a pack of ice to his eye and looking down at the tray of food Oksana had brought for him. The family ended up eating dinner during the two hours that the two men were gone and it was a very quiet and awkward affair that Yuuri was secretly glad he missed. Victor sat beside Eclipse and Makkachin on the floor, his own tray of food in hand while Oksana tended to his boyfriend.

"How does it feel then, Yuura?" asked the redhead. "Do you need any pain killers?"

"It's a little sore, but I think I'm fine," replied Yuuri. "Do you really think I need this ice...?"

"Doctor's orders," said Oksana as she stood from adjusting Yuuri's pillows. "He said you shouldn't bruise too much, but I think it's best that we do as much to prevent any bruising at all as we can."

The Japanese skater sighed a little. He appreciated her concern, but he would have really just liked to relax instead of being fussed over. She was right though - he probably wouldn't even swell at this rate.

"Okay, time's up!" Oksana announced and gently took the ice pack from his hands. He only needed to keep it there for a few minutes every hour. She then began to set up a miniature table in the centre of the bedroom where the couple could finally eat their supper. "Now you two get some food in your stomachs and I'll be back in an hour."

"Thank you, Nurse Oksana," Victor grinned teasingly as Eclipse stood to leave with the muscular ginger.

The Olympic swimmer gave him a knowing smile, a wink and a peace sign. "That's _Doctor_ Oksana, MD. And let me know if anything happens with him, Vitya!"

Victor and Yuuri ate together with Makkachin at the small table and then Yuuri showed his boyfriend Eclipse's scrapbook before Oksana made one last visit and they went to bed. Thursday was a lazy day for everyone. Every other day that week had required a lot of energy which was mostly spent walking or running all around Kyushu. It seemed like all of the drama of Wednesday had broken the group's momentum because right afterwards, they all seemed too pooped to do much more. Luckily, the mood had lightened significantly before breakfast. When Yuuri arrived in the dining room, Ivanna was already at the table with a cup of coffee, swirling her spoon around in the black liquid and staring into it with a troubled expression. Yuuri stepped aside slightly when he sensed someone coming up behind him and he soon realized when the other man touched his shoulder that Alexei had just arrived.

"H-hi Yuuri," he said, hesitating for a moment. "Um... I just wanted to know how you were feeling."

The Japanese man smiled at him. He felt no ill will toward Alexei even though he was sure the Russian must have thought he did by the way he was acting. "I'm alright. My cheek is still a little sore, but the doctor said I shouldn't bruise too much."

Alexei smiled back, still seeming a tad anxious. "Molto bene! I'm happy to hear it!"

After that, the space between them felt a little bit awkward as neither man could figure out what to do next. A moment later, Alexei glanced at where Ivanna was sitting and his mood seemed to shift as he watched her there. He was much more somber than when he had first entered the room. Alexei turned back to Yuuri then and gave him a friendly nod before making his way over to his older sister. The Japanese man watched the Russian as he made his way over, his advance slowing a bit as he got closer and closer. There was a certain hesitation in his step that caused his movement to halt slightly. Ivanna looked up at him when she noticed his red and white tripped shirt out of the corner of her vision.

"Uh-... Hey," Ivanna was a nervous herself. "Um, Alexei... About yesterday... I'm-"

"I'm so sorry!" Alexei blurted out before his sister could finish and then quickly wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, shutting his eyes behind her. "I really had no idea about Ilya. I never wanted to put Vitya in danger and I never wanted for Yuuri to get hurt. But you're right – Ilya was way too old and I should have recognized that, so I'm sorry."

Yuuri was surprised by Alexei's actions, but Ivanna didn't look too shocked. Instead, she embraced him back, smiling warmly over the younger man's shoulder. Apparently, Sergei was right about his little brother being secretly very sensitive. Yulia, who had been observing the scene from her seat at the table, quietly stood.

Ivanna sighed with a small smile and held him tighter. "No, Alexei. _I'm_ sorry. I shouldn't have accused you. I know you wouldn't have hurt Vitya on purpose. You were just trying to protect him – I understand that. I was just angry..."

Just then, Yuuri noticed that Eclipse had entered the room, just as slowly and mysteriously as a dark fog, but unlike on the day she had first came, Yuuri felt no unease when he saw her. Instead, he just beamed at the little Polish woman and she returned the gesture.

"I hate it when we fight like that..." muttered Alexei. His back was to the Japanese skater, so he couldn't see the dew drops accumulating at the outer corners of the Russian man's eyes, threatening to fall at any moment.

His older sister just patted his back comfortingly. "Me too. Although, you do always find some way to annoy me."

Alexei pulled back then, his lips curled up into a smile. "Isn't that what little brothers are for?"

Eclipse nudged Yuuri gently as the two siblings shared a laugh together and almost instantly, the initial awkwardness was diffused. When they had stopped, there was Yulia, smiling at both of them. She walked up to each of her siblings and gave them each a hug individually, glad to see that they were no longer fighting. Sergei and Victor had been watching as well and were now wearing matching grins as they glanced at each other. Grinning widely, Sergei picked up his youngest brother in his arms and squeezed him tightly, earning a surprised yelp and then an amused chuckle from the smaller man. Oksana too laughed at the gesture from her place beside the brothers. Anastasia just beamed at her adult children while Vladimir let out his own gravelly little chortle through his heart-shaped mouth.

Relieved to see all of the drama over with, the Japanese skater found his place beside his boyfriend at the table just as his family arrived with breakfast. Immediately, the Katsukis sensed the reduced tension and they too seemed to relax significantly.

After the disruption of the previous day, it was decided that the group would play it by ear and take a break. Most of the day was spent doing things around the inn. Yuuri and Victor took Makkachin for a walk after breakfast, then they took Anastasia, Ivanna, and Sergei over to Minako's snack bar. Minako, of course, nearly fainted at the sight of the celebrated old prima ballerina who she could remember looking up to herself. Mrs. Nikiforov was more than happy to humour the younger woman in her fangirl moment. For lunch, the group went on a short bus ride to Yobuko, a former village which had joined with Hasetsu very recently. There, they sampled the fresh squid sashimi that the area was known for. Then, they visited the Yobuko Big Bridge before heading back to the inn to relax and freshen up before dinner. The two families were slowly beginning to get their energy back, but Yuuri seemed deep in thought the entire day. He had decided that he wanted to confess to Victor, but he couldn't figure out how. Throughout their relationship, the element of surprise always seemed to follow them as the two men loved and inspired each other each and every day. For that reason, Yuuri didn't just want to tell Victor that he loved him. He wanted it to be special, but what could he do at such short notice? While Victor was in the den, challenging his father to another game of poker, Yuuri sat as his desk with a pen and paper, concentrating hard like he was trying desperately to capture the words swimming about in his head. _Come on, Yuuri,_ he thought. _Think!_ Slowly, the pen began to move.

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue._

_Your hair is silver,_

_And I love you._

Yuuri stared at the page before hastily tearing it out of his notebook and stuffing it in the trash. _No way,_ he thought. _What was I thinking?! I mean, that might have been pretty good for a seven year-old but... Ugh..._ He tried again.

_Dear Vicchan,_

_My heart stops when you look at me with your oceanic blue eyes. The world seems brighter when you smile. I always knew why, but now I can say it: I'm in love with you, Victor._

No, that wasn't it either. Sighing, Yuuri tore the paper out and it suffered the same fate as the first. Something about that one just didn't sound right. Frustrated, the Japanese skater laid his head on his desk and closed his eyes. How is it that he'd spent so long searching for the courage to announce his feelings and now that he had found it, he knew not how to articulate himself? Seemed like a rather cruel twist of fate that he'd finally gotten over his stage fright only to have nothing to say, so he absently doodled for a little while to see if it would jumpstart inspiration. Just when Yuuri was going to take a break, there was a knocking at his door.

"Come in," he responded before Alexei poked his silvery grey head in.

"Yuuri," Alexei said with his very slight accent, pushing the door open gently to let himself in. "Mrs. Catskey has made some dora-yakee. Would you like any?"

"Not right now," Yuuri replied, his pencil still moving lazily about the page. "But thanks..."

Alexei nodded before placing his hand on the door knob to close it behind him. "Alright then," but he paused when he saw Yuuri busy at his desk and the things on the page caught his eye. "Um... If you don't mind me asking, what are you up to?"

Suddenly embarrassed, Yuuri yelped and quickly covered the stylized 'Yuuri Katsuki-Nikiforov' surrounded by hearts and little Crayon Shin-chan-esque drawings of himself and Victor getting married which he had been absently penciling with both his arms. "N-nothing!"

But the Russian man had already seen most of the romantic drivel that Yuuri had written for Alexei's baby brother on the lined notebook paper. He gasped suddenly and clasped his hands in front of him. "Yuuri, are you writing a love letter to Vitya?"

"N-no! I mean... Y-yes... I mean...!"

"Oh, that's exactly what he needs!" Alexei exclaimed.

The Japanese man looked a little surprised. "What he needs?"

"Yeah, haven't you noticed?" asked Victor's older brother. "Vitya was... A little more shaken up than the rest of us about... Well, about what happened recently. He seems a little more like himself now, but there's still a certain energy that's missing... Anyway, I think that something like this would really cheer him up, so good thinking!"

"Oh, uh," Yuuri stammered. "Yeah, of course. Thanks."

It was true that Yuuri had noticed that Victor still wasn't back to 100%, but he'd figured that maybe his boyfriend just needed a little bit more time. He seemed happy for the most part anyway. The love letter idea was mostly just so that Yuuri could finally tell Victor of his love for him.

Alexei let himself back into the room and took a seat in the chair next to Yuuri's desk, sitting backwards in the chair so that he could cross his arms over the back and lay his chin on top. "So! What have you got so far? Or is it private? Do you need any help?"

"Uh..." Yuuri wasn't sure if he wanted help from one of Victor's brothers of all people to make a love note, but the platinum blond beside him seemed to excited to have found something to lift his baby brother's spirits and maybe if Yuuri could spend more time with Alexei, he would warm up to him even faster. _I suppose it can't hurt..._ , the figure skater thought. "Well... I'm kind of having trouble knowing where to start..."

"Ah, I see. Remember this, Yuuri: 'A love letter can be very short or it can be long; it can be literary or non-literary; it can be bright or dark, cheerful or tragic. But above all, for a love letter to be a love letter it must be sincere!' – Mehmet Murat ildan."

Yuuri nodded slowly. "Yes... So, you have an idea of where I can start?"

Alexei closed his eyes in thought then, crossing his thin arms over his fragile-looking chest. Then, a thought struck him. "I can't come up with anything!"

The Japanese man's expression fell and he tilted his head toward one side.

"But!" continued the Russian excitedly. "I know who could!"

* * *

_My dearest Victor,_

_I am afraid that I have neglected your feelings for far too long, and yet, still you are here at my side. You have endured much strife and loneliness in your pursuit of my fragile, hesitant heart, but starting today, you will be ignored no longer, for I will shout it from the rooftops: I love you, Victor Nikiforov! I love you with every breath, every fibre, every bit of life within me! And I am eternally blessed that I might find the same in you. The only Heaven I have ever known lies in that beating heart within your chest and with this letter, I claim it as my own._

_Yours, now and forever,_

_Yuuri Katsuki._

The young skater stared at the page with his mouth hanging open. It was well written of course, but it was a little _too_ good. _Way_ too good. There was no way that this sounded like something he'd penned himself. And in any case, he had only asked for a little inspiration to start him off. It seemed insincere to have Victor's sister write the entire thing herself.

"Hmmm," Yulia said when she saw what she interpreted as his dissatisfaction. "Perhaps it should sound more passionate?"

"No, no, it sounds good," Yuuri assured her. "But this is way beyond anything I would have written."

"I see," she replied, and said the next bit without any intention to offend. "So I shall dumb it down?"

The Japanese man began to sweat a little. "N-no, it's fine. I really just wanted to write it myself."

"Yuuri, I've been thinking..." Alexei interjected, his index finger on his chin as he laid across the middle of the bed Yuuri and Victor shared, his fluffy white head hanging upside-down off the edge. "How do you plan on delivering this exactly?"

"Oh, well, I was probably just going to..." actually, Yuuri hadn't thought this far ahead just yet. "Umm... Maybe just... hand it to him?"

When Alexei looked thoughtful again, Yuuri sighed. He couldn't just hand Victor a love letter – what was he thinking? How unromantic was that? Then, the Russian man had yet another smart idea. "I know! Why don't you deliver it as a speech at dinner tonight?"

"W-what?!" Yuuri exclaimed, nearly jumping to his feet.

"Oh, Vitya would love that," Yulia smiled meekly.

"He would!" the male twin grinned as he turned himself over to lay on his stomach, legs danging in the air behind him. "And wouldn't it make a lot of sense? You said you haven't felt comfortable yet telling Vitya about your feelings. Wouldn't it be a complete turn-around if you can say it in a public setting?"

"I mean... I guess, but..."

"Then it's settled!" announced Alexei, excitedly. He stood then and grabbed his cellphone out of his pocket. "Don't fret, Yuuri! I'll have it all planned out. You just work on your speech and leave everything to Yulia and I!"

And with that, before Yuuri could say anything more, the twins had taken their leave, looking like they were already busy. The Japanese skater just stared at the door, looking like a deer in headlights. What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

There were only two hours left before the dinner. After what felt like hundreds of re-writes, Yuuri had finally prepared his short speech. Currently, he was practicing in the mirror while Alexei and Ivanna planned out his outfit. He had to look nice for the occasion, of course, but Yuuri could definitely due without the butterflies zooming about in the pit of his stomach.

Ivanna sighed a little as she perused Yuuri's closet, trying to choose something ravishing among the rather drab selection of colours. Yuuri had some nice pieces in his wardrobe, but if it wasn't some sort of athletic gear, it was usually something that emphasized comfort over style. A couple of the more fashionable things Ivanna could tell were chosen by Victor himself, but none were exactly what she was looking for. "It's a little short notice to be employing my services, but I suppose this is an emergency, so we must make do."

"I wonder if he'd fit some of my clothing..." Alexei wondered aloud, putting one of Yuuri's old black blazers against his chest to compare. He was already dressed up very nicely himself, and Yuuri noted that he, like Victor, seemed to have expensive taste. Suddenly struck with a flash of inspiration, Alexei hanged the blazer back up where it was and made for the door. "I'll be right back!"

As the fairy-like man zipped down the hallway back to he and Eclipse's shared room, he happened to pass Victor going in the opposite direction. Like his brother, Victor was also sharply dressed in his designer midnight blue suit with baby blue accents. Alexei's suit, on the other hand, was more of a wine red with touches of burgundy and his fluffy hair seemed much more controlled than usual. As the brothers approached and looked each other over, they slowed their motion to a casual stroll in either direction, chins up in the air like men of wealth and influence. It was a thing they liked to do with each other, and sometimes with Ivanna if she wanted to join in – since they were all into high fashion, they were each knowledgeable enough to guess with pretty good accuracy who designed what the others were wearing.

As the space between the brothers began to close, Victor turned his head slightly toward Alexei, his half-lidded eyes on the man's shoes with a silver brow raised in amusement. "Alexander McQueen?"

Alexei grinned at the correct guess and did a similar motion toward the shoes his brother was wearing. "Jimmy Choo?"

Victor winked before turning his gaze back to his front. "Cooler than cool."

Alexei chuckled slyly and imitated the action. "Ice cold."

The two dorks continued in their respective directions, giggling a little once they were able to break character, then when his baby brother was out of sight, Alexei sprinted away to get the articles he needed before Victor could come back.

Meanwhile, Yuuri was standing in front of his mirror and trying to subtly sniff himself without Ivanna noticing. He had been sweating so much with nervousness, he was worried he might have just voided the shower he'd just had only an hour ago. This wasn't exactly what he had in mind for the way he would confess to Victor, but it was true that if all went off without a hitch, Victor would probably be in tears with happiness. Yuuri sighed. _I'm doing this for Victor,_ he told himself, inhaling deeply. _This will probably make Victor's whole night..._

"So!" Yuuri yelped and nearly jumped a foot above the ground when Ivanna touched his shoulder, grinning a wide heart-shaped grin. "How ya feeling?"

"Honestly?" the young man said once he'd calmed down. "I feel like a nervous wreck."

"Aw, don't feel that way!" the silver-haired woman chuckled and placed her other hand on his free shoulder, resting her chin at his side and looking at him through the mirror. "Alexei and I are gonna make sure you're super cute tonight – even more than usual – and I just know your speech will be absolutely adorable, so it's all gonna be great."

A small smile graced Yuuri's features. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Ivanna said, freeing him from her grasp, but the younger man still had a bit of a nervous look in his eyes. His hands still shook nervously against his desk. After a brief pause, Ivanna spoke again. "Hey, Yuura?"

He looked up to meet her gaze through the mirror. "Yeah?"

"Look..." Ivanna then went to her purse and sifted through it. When she had found what she was looking for, she returned to Yuuri's side. Yuuri looked at her hands to see two tiny bottles of some sort of alcohol. "Have one. I think it'll loosen you up!"

Yuuri's hands quickly shot up in front of him. He remembered all too well what happened the last time he was drunk. "Oh, no! I shouldn't."

"Aw, you sure?" the platinum blond woman pouted. "Not even a little bit? They're peach schnapps~!"

The Japanese man regarded the small bottles again. As much as he hated to admit it, he was kind of a fan of fruit flavoured alcohol and the size seemed so small. One wouldn't hurt, right? Maybe just a little something would calm his nerves. He shrugged. "Well... Alright."

Ivanna grinned and handed Yuuri the little glass bottle. They popped both the bottles open and tilted their heads backwards to unload their contents. Yuuri felt the sweet beverage roll down his throat and into his stomach, leaving a pleasantly warm sensation in its wake. Before long, the entire little bottle was empty and the young skater was beginning to feel just a tad calmer.

"You know, I actually do feel better," Yuuri smiled when he had finished, his nerves settling slightly.

"Awesome!" Ivanna said, satisfied with her work before she situated herself behind him and began tousling his dark tresses. "Now, let's see what we can do with your hair while Alexei's gone."

"Victor usually just slicks it back," said Yuuri, laying the bottle down on his desk.

Ivanna scrunched up her face in thought. "True... And that _is_ a good look for you. I've seen you rock it on TV. But let's try something else, yeah? Surprise Vitya a little?"

Victor did love surprises. Yuuri nodded. "Yeah, okay! But, what are you gonna do?"

The Russian woman grinned and picked up a fine toothed comb from the desk. "Why don't we try this?"

* * *

It wasn't long before everyone was about to meet in the foyer just an hour before the time for their reservation. Otabek let Yuuri know that he and Russian Yuri were on their way – they would be taking a taxi from their hotel to get there. Ivanna, however, had booked a limousine for the Nikiforovs and the Katsukis earlier that day. Currently, Victor was pacing in front of the door, Makkachin beside him in a cute little bow tie which matched the colours on his owner's suit. Of course, Victor planned on bringing his beloved animal with him to the restaurant. Victor had a way with people where he could charm just about anyone into doing as he asked, and he'd become so good at it that he wasn't even the least bit worried about having to take Makkachin back home if he failed. It simply wouldn't happen. That said, it wasn't this that he was thinking of as he walked back and forth. It was almost time for them to leave and Yuuri, Yulia, Alexei and Ivanna still hadn't come down.

Victor looked at his expensive watch again. Time was flying by. What could be taking them so long? He could have sworn he'd seen Alexei fully dressed at least and when he'd passed Ivanna earlier and correctly guessed that she was wearing Prada, she'd seemed ready to go as well. Yuuri had made himself scarce all day so Victor wasn't so sure about him. He just hoped he wasn't going to come in that ugly blue tie Victor hated.

Vladimir sat at a small chair in the old black suit he wore to both his sons' weddings, holding his cane in front of him. "Where are they?"

"I just check on them," said Anastasia in her long elegant sky blue dress. "They are coming."

"If they don't get here soon, they might give our reservation to someone else," sighed Mari, in a simple but pretty black dress with her blond-tipped hair flowing past her shoulders.

"We're here! We're here!" everyone heard Alexei shout as the four made their way down the hall.

Alexei and Ivanna were smartly dressed of course and Yulia wore her best black habit, but when Yuuri made his way into the foyer, he nearly stole all of the air from Victor's lungs.

"I hope we're not late!" the Japanese man said excitedly, not yet noticing his boyfriend staring wide-eyed at him. Yuuri's dark hair had been styled into volumized strands that curled gently at the ends and framed his face, a look that made good use of the extra growth he'd accumulated since the Grand Prix Final. This was paired with a very expensive silvery grey satin-finish blazer with a lightly embossed floral pattern near the right shoulder and soft black trim along the breast pocket and lapel. Underneath, he wore a white dress shirt, a trendy black tie, and a matching silver vest. The trousers were slightly darker than the rest of the outfit because Yuuri's muscular thighs wouldn't fit into the matching pants he was going to borrow from Alexei, but the colour change wasn't noticeable. The overall slim fit of the suit hugged Yuuri's body well (as Victor most certainly noticed) and the look was topped off with a pair of designer men's shoes – also borrowed from Alexei.

"Whoa!" Sergei exclaimed, standing from where he was with a wide grin on his face. "Yuuri, you look amazing!"

"Dapper AF," Mari grinned, looking impressed with a hand on her hip.

"Oh, you're adorable!" Oksana squeaked, both her hands in front of her face. Her brown eyes kept darting between Yuuri and Victor as she gleefully watched the latter's reaction.

"Ah, thanks!"

"So handsome, Yuura!" Anastasia squealed beside a near swooning Hiroko. Eclipse snapped photos and even the two fathers, Vladimir and Toshiya, looked amazed.

"You sure clean up good, Yuuri!" Toshiya grinned proudly.

"Yes, excellent," said Vladimir. Alexei and Ivanna simply looked at each other as if to silently congratulate themselves for their victory. Yulia was caught their gazes as well and chuckled slightly at her twin and older sister.

"Thank you so much," Yuuri replied shyly. He turned his attention to Victor now, who was still staring wordlessly. "Uh, Victor...? So uh, what do you think?"

The Russian man just continued to stare for a while before one single name escaped his lips. "... Steve Madden?"

That was correct. Yuuri knew this game. He smiled and looked at Victor's shoes, realizing quickly why he himself never played Guess the Designer. "Um... Gucci?"

Everyone watched as the still wide-eyed Victor shook his head slowly and stepped forward to take Yuuri's hand in his. "No... Jimmy Choo."

"Oh... Well uh... Cooler than cool?"

"You look... _Ethereal_..." Victor was completely forgetting the rules of his own game as he stared at Yuuri with a rose-tinted gaze and a dreamy smile. He looked like he wanted to just run his hands through Yuuri's soft hair and kiss his boyfriend right then and there, their game of Guess the Designer be damned.

"He means to say, 'ice cold'," Alexei filled in, he and Ivanna standing at either side of the couple as if watching their hard work pay off.

"Okay, let's be off!" exclaimed Ivanna excitedly as she shooed the two men along.

With that, Victor held Yuuri's hand tighter and lead him toward the door, Makkachin trotting along beside them. Alexei and Ivanna exchanged a quick high five and another look praising each other's genius before joining their party in the limo. During the ride to the restaurant, Yuuri almost forgot to be nervous for the speech he was supposed to be giving as he sat next to Victor, who had an arm gently draped over his shoulders to keep the younger man close. As shy as Yuuri could be sometimes, he had to admit that he was loving the attention. His insecurity seemed at peace as he laid his head on Victor's shoulder, actually feeling very attractive for once outside of his Eros program. The young skater was thankful that his beau apparently didn't recognize that half of what he wore actually belonged to his brother. That might make things a little awkward.

When they finally arrived, Yuri and Otabek were just outside of the eatery, looking quite fashionable in their semi-formal clothing. Truth be told, Yuuri was just a tad over-dressed for the occasion, but he looked so good that no one would likely fault him for it. When the limo pulled up and the group of people flooded out, it was the Japanese skater who again garnered attention.

Both Yurio and Otabek regarded him for a split second in the same way that two fifth grade boys might regard their school friend's attractive single mother, but only for a fraction of a second. Then, they promptly snapped out of it, Otabek looking a little embarrassed and Yuri covering his momentary humiliation with anger like he always did, but he just didn't have the heart to berate the Japanese man for his attire, so the two young men said very little about it. As he stepped out of the limo himself, Victor saw the two and had to stifle a giggle at their boyish mannerisms.

"Otabek! Yurachka!" Anastasia called, one hand on her cheek. "Oh, you are so adorable with your little pony's tail!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Nikiforov," Yuri replied, trying not to sound too fiery even though that little slip up of his was still pissing him off.

"Good evening," Otabek said plainly, recovering quickly.

"Did you boys have to wait long?" asked Oksana.

"No, we just arrived," explained the Kazakhstani skater.

"Well, let's go in~!" Victor grinned, leading Yuuri by the hand once again, Makkachin following happily. The platinum blond gave Yuuri a sly look over his shoulder that said it all: He wanted everyone to know that this was what he got to go home to every night. The look would have made Yuuri blush before, but tonight, he was feeling himself so he was able to give Victor a sly grin in return. And so, the two entered the restaurant, but Victor was sure to flash a wink in Yurio's direction first because he loved being an infuriating little pain in the boy's ass. Otabek placed a hand on the younger Yuri's shoulder then, trying to calm the scowling teen before they entered the building themselves.

Dinner seemed to go by all too quickly. Once Yuuri had come down from his high (because it had to eventually), he suddenly remembered the piece of paper folded hastily in his pocket. He remembered the words written on it and every time he looked at the small stage where the jazz band was playing, he could see himself proclaiming his love to the world... and then probably tripping over a wire or some other horrible fate. Sergei had called earlier that day to convince the manager to give Yuuri five minutes, just five minutes of time. In just a half hour, he would be up there, probably feeling dizzy with his clammy palms and shaking hands. Alexei had ordered a bottle of champagne for the table (and a non-alcoholic rosé for Otabek, Yulia and little Yuri, the latter of which grumbled something in Russian about the damned legal drinking age in Japan) of which Yuuri was currently nursing a glass between already sweaty fingers as he stared into the distance, not really hearing the chatter at the table.

"Yuuri?"

The Japanese man nearly jumped when Victor called his name. "Are you alright? You look troubled."

"No, no, I'm fine," Yuuri smiled, but his boyfriend continued to stare at him, remembering the last time he'd asked about how Yuuri was feeling and how that ended up. "No, really, Vicchan. I'm okay." Yuuri patted Victor's knuckles almost as if to offer him comfort.

"Alright," the Russian nodded, returning the smile.

But Yuuri wasn't really okay. Actually, he felt like he might vomit. "Eh, I'm gonna go to the bathroom," he said, standing up. "I'll be right back."

Victor could only blink because his boyfriend was already gone before he could say anything. Luckily, Yuuri didn't vomit, but he did end up over by the bar, his head in his hands as he sat at the stool. The anxiety was building up inside him again and the schnapps were starting to wear off a little. Yuuri sighed. How had he gotten himself into this? Yuuri was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Sergei's heavy body strolling over and taking up the seat next to him, his large form upon the stool looking like a huge lollipop on the end of a too-skinny stick.

"Yuura!" Sergei exclaimed in his loud whisper. "Are you nervous?"

That was the second time that night that Yuuri was startled by a Nikiforov suddenly seeming to morph into existence beside him, but he quickly composed himself and nodded. He couldn't believe that he'd actually missed the presence of a giant such as Sergei. He must have been really nervous. "I just can't seem to get over these nerves."

"Ah," cooed Sergei as he leaned a slight bend into the bar and took a short trip down Memory Lane. "I remember being very nervous when I first confessed to my kotonok. We were supposed to do an Ironman Triathlon together after which I would tell her how I felt, but I had so much anxiety, I broke out in hives the day before!"

"So... What did you do?" Yuuri asked, curiously.

Sergei chuckled and the bar shook to the rhythm of his mirth. "Oksana is such a sweetheart, she pulled out of the competition to nurse me back to health even though I told her to go on without me. Then, well, the confession sort of just slipped out when she was giving me medicine. She was showing so much of her love to me in that moment, I guess I couldn't hold it in any longer."

The smaller man sat in silence as he digested the story, nodding a little. After all of that build up and even making himself sick with worry, Sergei ended up confessing by accident, his heart spilling over when Oksana showed just how much she cared. Yuuri wished that it could come to him that easily. He had already decided that he would confess to Victor, so that was definite, but he could probably do without these butterflies flitting about incessantly in his stomach. Suddenly, there was a huge hand covering Yuuri's shoulder and he looked up to see Sergei flashing him a reassuring smile.

"Try not to worry, Yuura," he said in a voice that was strangely soothing given its higher than normal volume. "If you truly love Vitya, you'll find the strength to tell him. And after what happened with Ilya, I can see that you do care for him deeply. Even Alexei was impressed," he paused for a second and pondered about how that last part sounded before deciding to add a little bit so it didn't come off the wrong way. " _Horrified_ at what happened, of course, but impressed."

"Really?!" Yuuri gasped. Had he actually managed to satisfy Alexei's steep expectations?

Sergei nodded. "I think you just might have won him over."

This news made Yuuri feel a lot better and he temporarily forgot about the fact that he was about to get up in front of the entire restaurant to profess his love. Before he knew it, a shot was being thrusted at him by Sergei.

"Let's celebrate!" the titan laughed, a full shot glass in his hand.

Yuuri grinned back and downed the shot quickly, not even asking what was in the glass. He soon regretted that because whatever it was, it was strong and caused him to start coughing when it burned his throat. This was nothing like the peach schnapps he had earlier - in fact, it tasted of nothing but rubbing alcohol - but the effect was immediate and a surge of alcohol-induced energy pulsed through Yuuri's body.

"Wooo, damn!" Yuuri croaked, pulling a face. "That's... strong!"

But Sergei was laughing too loud to hear him. The large man slammed his glass onto the bar before tilting his head back and letting out a howling cackle. He then slapped Yuuri on the back causing the smaller man to fly forward slightly. The bartender actually stepped backward as if to avoid being hit in the face when Yuuri would be sent hurdling over the bar by the giant Russian man. The Japanese skater, meanwhile, was starting to feel the full effects of the mystery drink combined with the champagne he'd been sipping on earlier mixing with the lingering high of the peach schnapps.

"That'll put some hair on your chest!" chuckled Sergei loudly, attracting the attention of a few other people at the bar.

Yuuri nodded, a slow smile playing at his lips. "I feel it."

Sergei was still laughing when the twins suddenly appeared behind them.

"Yuuri, what are you still doing here?!" exclaimed Alexei. "You need to be back stage! It's almost time!"

"S-stage?" asked Yuuri, the anxiety flooding back into him.

Alexei looked exasperated and gently grabbed the other man's arm. "Yes! Eclipse is setting up as we speak, but you need to be back there!"

The twins and Yuuri left Sergei at the bar waving happily as they made their way to their destination.

"Good luck, Yuura!" the giant called. "I'll be cheering you on!"

It was at this point as he ascended the stairs behind the curtain that everything was beginning to become more real for Yuuri. He was really going to do this. He was going to confess the Victor, the love of his life, on stage in front of everyone in about fifteen minutes. Everything felt so surreal, he almost couldn't even remember where he'd hidden his speech.

Eclipse was setting up all of her high quality equipment around the stage, attracting the attention of many patrons, including the table where the Katsukis, the Nikiforovs, and their two guests sat. By now, Sergei had returned to his spot, but Victor noticed that his boyfriend did not return with him.

"Um, what's going on...?" Victor asked everyone. "Where have Yuuri and the twins gone? Why does Eclipse have all her equipment...?"

Everyone but Victor, Yuri, and Otabek knew exactly what was about to happen and they all looked about at each other with frantic looks in their eyes despite their calm faces, each of them searching for some excuse.

"Eh, Y-Yuura's just having a hard time in the bathroom!" Sergei blurted out, almost immediately regretting the fact that washroom-related troubles were the first and only thing he could think of to explain Yuuri's absence.

"A-and the twins went to help him!" added Ivanna before she realized with horror what she had just said when Victor gave her a thoroughly confused look. The rest of the table looked even more horrified than she felt.

Yuri scrunched up his nose with disgust while Otabek's eyebrows furrowed. "The twins are helping Yuuri in the bathroom...?" Yuri repeated flatly.

Ivanna began to sweat. "I-I mean... They uh... Went out to the store to get him medicine... Y-yeah, that's it!"

Victor pulled out his chair, his confused expression turning into a worried one. "Maybe I should go check on him."

"NO!" shouted the entire table sans Yuri and Otabek, who both jumped at the sudden noise. Victor looked at everyone with wide blue dumbfounded eyes.

"W-well uhh," Mari stuttered. "Y-Yuuri gets like this sometimes, but he'll be fine."

"Oh yes, he just gets a little indigestion from time to time!" Hiroko giggled nervously.

"He gets it from me!" Toshiya explained, pointing at himself with a wide grin, causing Victor to sweat a little.

"Vitya, don't you think Yuura might be little bit embarrassed for you to see him like this?" asked Anastasia.

Victor nodded with a sigh, returning slowly to his seat. "I suppose you're right..."

"So, what's up with the paparazzi gear?" asked Yurio before stuffing lettuce from his salad into his mouth. All besides those not in the know immediately tensed up again and Yuri gave them all a suspicious look. _What the hell is their problem...?_ he thought.

"Eclipse just loves making memories," Oksana explained, her entire forehead covered in sweat despite her calm demeanor.

"She must really want some good pictures," Victor commented, a silver brow raising slightly. "She's usually fine with just her digital camera..."

"Yeah," Oksana said with a nervous chuckle. "That must be it."

At that moment, Yuri pushed his chair out from the table, dropping his fork against his plate. "I'll be back," he announced. He started to rise but paused and discretely nudged Otabek in the ribs earning and confused look from his older friend. The little blond Russian flashed him a look before slowly walking toward the bathrooms.

After a few seconds, Otabek rose as well. "Excuse me," the tall skater muttered before also making his way over to the restroom. Once there, he began searching the empty room for Yuri until suddenly, the young man was forcefully pulled by the back of his blazer into a stall with a little yelp. The door shut behind him and he saw Yuri, crouched upon the lidded toilet seat with his blazer still in his pale hands.

"Y-Yuri!?" Otabek stammered.

"Ssh!" the Russian boy hissed and then spoke in a hushed tone. "Beka, something's going on out there. I know it."

"Yuri, what are you doing in here? And why did you pull me in?"

"So that we can get some privacy. What does it look like?"

Otabek glanced around the tight space, noticing uncomfortably that there was only really room for him to stand where he was and for Yuri to stay were he was crouched above the toilet. "Can't we just stand outside? This is awkward."

"What if one of them comes in here?" the boy asked.

"Then they're going to wonder why we're alone in a stall together..."

That thought made Yuri's entire face turn beet red. He hadn't thought of that. Within seconds, the two boys were standing in front of the restroom mirror, contemplating the current situation.

"Yuuri's not in here," said Yuri thoughtfully. "And he's not at the table, so where is he?"

"It seemed like the only person other than us who didn't know what Victor," Otabek reasoned as he washed his hands. He hadn't used the washroom, but just being in there made him feel a little dirty. "It's probably a surprise for him."

The young Russian thought for a little bit before sighing and pulling out the band which was holding his ponytail in place. He slid the accessory onto his wrist and wet his hands underneath the tap briefly before running both hands along the sides of his head, carefully arranging his blond hair into place before pulling it all back up into a ponytail. Satisfied with how much cleaner the hairstyle looked, Yurio backed away from the counter, still deep in thought. "A surprise for Victor... But what? What the hell is that piggie planning?"

Otabek was over at the hand dryer, letting the machine blow the excess moisture from his hands, and behind him, Yuri gasped suddenly. "Beka!" the teen nearly screamed turning toward his friend. "You don't think that... Yuuri's gonna _propose_ , do you?!"

The young man shrugged a little. "I don't know. I thought they were already engaged, to be honest."

"Is he really going to propose to Victor on stage in front of all these people?" Yuri asked, but he wasn't really talking to Otabek as much as he was himself. The teenager's back was to the counter now and his arms were folded in front of him as he seemed to stare at a particular freckle in the marble flooring. "But that's so... _cheesy_. Why doesn't he do something more low key and private? He's going to humiliate himself like this!"

Otabek said nothing and was just listening to his friend rant to himself as he removed his hands from the dryer.

"Damn it, piggie," Yuri cursed. "You're going to embarrass yourself _and_ Victor on what's possibly the most important day of your life?!"

The older skater walked to Yuri's side then, looking at him through the mirror. "Should we go back to the table?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Yuri growled, but not at Otabek. "Fuck... It's going to make everything a lot harder if that asshole actually does embarrass himself."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

"We'll have to find him and make sure she doesn't make an ass of himself," grumbled Yuri. "Sorry, Beka. Looks like the piggie's forced our hands. If we don't do something, he'll regret it for the rest of his life."

Otabek smiled and chuckled slightly. "Yes, of course. We're doing this for Yuuri and Victor's sake." _This has nothing to do with you just wanting to be involved..._

"Exactly!" exclaimed the blond as he made his way toward the door. "Now let's go see if we can find him before he does something cringe-worthy. Damned Victor and the pig... Always having to be saved by me..."

The other man's smile grew behind Yuri's retreating back. That boy loved Victor and Yuuri whether he knew it or not and even if he wouldn't admit his feelings, the truth was not hidden at all to Otabek's careful eyes. After a moment, Otabek joined his friend as they set out to find Yuuri.

* * *

Meanwhile, things were a little hectic backstage. Yuuri was sitting on a stool, barely noticing the fact that he was acting a little silly after all the alcohol. Alexei didn't notice either as he was running about talking to staff and getting things ready. For his darling baby brother's sake, his night had to be perfect because little Vitya deserved the very best. In the meantime, Yulia was helping Yuuri rehearse, but things were not exactly going as she planned.

"Yuliaaaa," drawled Yuuri, trying to loosen his expensive tie. "This thing's too tight~"

"Yuura, _please_ ," insisted Yulia in her unassuming little voice, swatting Yuuri's hands away and readjusting the tie. "Focus. We need for this to be perfect."

"I'm sorry!" Yuuri whined. "I just keep forgettin' stuff and..."

"What has gotten into you?" the woman asked, both of her grey eyebrows raising into a concerned expression. "Is it your nerves? Is that why you're fumbling your speech?"

Yuuri groaned in response. "Aw man, I'm losin' it, dude..."

Yulia decided to ignore the fact that he'd just called her "dude" and chalked it up to really bad stage fright. She sighed, putting her hands on her knees to bend over and meet him at his level. "Listen, Yuura. You have nothing to be nervous about. You have a beautiful speech planned and you'll only be up there for five minutes anyway. It'll be over before you-"

"White wine?"

There was a server who had been walking about with a tray upon which a few wine flutes sat elegantly, the contents within them barely moving as he buzzed about, offering the beverages to all of the smartly dressed jazz musicians who were waiting patiently for their chance to perform. Yulia and Yuuri looked at the server then at each other. The nun obviously would not have any, but Yuuri regarded the transparent pale golden liquid with more than a little desire in his eyes.

Yulia's shoulders lifted, indicating her discomfort, as she saw the way the young man was looking at the alcohol. She sighed then, as if relenting. The wine might just calm his nerves and then he might not fumble as much on stage. Yulia got an almost desperate look then, with both her hands up in little fists in front of her chest. "Yuura, please do whatever you need to do to make Vitya happy. I will turn my back as you do it and I will say an extra prayer tonight for both of us!"

With that, she was gone as quickly as the wind, her dark habit flowing behind her. If it had to be done, it had to be done, but she didn't want to see the deed with her pious eyes. Even back at the table, she averted her eyes whenever she saw Victor or Yuuri take a sip. They were both adults and perfectly legal of course, but somehow, perhaps through her biological brother's love for him, she'd come to also see Yuuri as someone she had to protect from the ills of the world - not just her darling little Victor.

Just as Yulia left, Yuri and Otabek made their way in. Yuri almost stopped the nun when he saw her, but by the time he'd turned around, she was already gone. With a shrug, he turned back and continued on his way, only to hear a loud "OTABEEEE~K!".

Before the Russian teenager's eyes, Yuuri Katsuki had his friend in a near headlock under his arm, a half-empty champagne flute in his free hand and a big, goofy grin on his face. Otabek looked almost horrified, his eyes begging his friend to help him as he was unused to such close physical contact with the Japanese skater. Yuri couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Hey duuuude!"slurred the older Yuuri. "What're you doin' here?"

"You... you...!" Yuri was speechless.

"And Yurio's here too~! _Now_ , it's a party!"

"Yuri..." Otabek muttered pitifully. " _Help_..."

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing?!" the teen stormed angrily, pulling poor Otabek out of Yuuri's grasp. "Getting so damn drunk at a time like this... What's wrong with you?!"

Yuuri giggled, swaying a little bit and taking another wine flute from the server's tray when the man's back was turned. "It's really good~! I feel great! I's aaaaall good now!"

"Are you listening to me?!" Yurio shrieked as Yuuri shot finger guns at him.

"This isn't good..." said Otabek. "He's _really_ drunk."

The teenager growled. "Ugh, this is just like last time... Every time he's a little bit nervous, he drinks. Thank God they don't serve alcohol at competitions or else this asshole would be fucking wasted trying to do toe loops on the ice."

"He's going to be on any minute now," Otabek glanced at his clock with a worried expression, then back at Yuuri who seemed to be attempting a toe loop without the ice, spinning round in the air to land triumphantly in an arabesque pose. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, he's not going out like this," decided Yuri. "Let's just take him back to the table and he can try again some other time."

Otabek nodded at that plan, but when he looked around again, the Japanese skater was suddenly nowhere to be seen.

"I can't believe he'd get wasted at a time like this," Yuri ranted, while Otabek's search seemed a little more frantic.

"Um, Yuri..."

"What?"

"... Where did he go?"

"... Shit."

* * *

It was only about a minute until show time. Alexei ran back to the table and was out of breath by the time he got there. He had been coordinating a lot of things behind the scenes to make this night run smoothly. Eclipse had already set up all of her equipment and gave him the thumbs up when he looked up to check on her. Still catching up on his breathing, Alexei nodded in response to her. As he sat in his seat, he finally noticed the confused look Victor was giving him.

"Alexei, what happened?" the concerned younger brother asked. "Why are you so tired? Is Yuuri alright?"

"Huh?"

"Yuuri. Is he okay now?"

Alexei stared at Victor for a moment before his eyes shifted past him to look at the other Nikiforovs and Katsukis who were nodding profusely behind the platinum blond's turned back.

"O-oh! Yes! Of course," Alexei sputtered, trying to look more relaxed. "He's alright."

The younger brother sighed, looking relieved. "That's good. I hope he gets back soon. It looks like they're doing something interesting on stage."

"Oh, it'll be interesting alright," Alexei grinned as the lights dimmed right on schedule. Everything was going according to his plans already.

"By the way," continued Victor. "Have you seen Yurio and Otabe-"

Before he could finish, the spotlight trained on the centre of the small stage toward the microphone standing in front of the various jazz instruments which were situated near the back. One of the restaurant staff, a man of Latinx descent, sauntered his way on stage and took the mic.

"Honoured guests," he announced in English. "We now have something a little different for you tonight. The Pink Panthers will indeed be performing next as promised, however, we've allotted five minutes to one young man so that he can make a big announcement. Please welcome Mr. Yuuri Katsuki onto our stage!"

The youngest Nikiforov watched with a look of shock as the restaurant patrons applauded politely. Alexei wiggled a little with excitement at his hard work and planning finally coming to fruition while the rest of the family waited with smiles and baited breaths. Tonight was the night.

From back stage, the server from earlier walked up awkwardly and whispered something into the announcer's ear that made him furrow his eyebrows before turning back to address the crowd. There was a lot of unexplained noise and movement behind the curtain. Alexei raised an eyebrow curiously while Victor's smile disappeared slightly behind him. What on earth was going on?

"Uh, sorry everyone," the announcer said slowly. "It appears that um... Mr. Katsuki might have had a slight problem-"

Before he could finish, Yuuri emerged from behind the curtains and stumbled out on stage, a big goofy grin on his face after having broken free of both Yuri and Otabek's grip. It was hard to make out what he was saying without the microphone, but it sounded like, "Wait a sec, waaaait a sec, I'm fiiiine!" followed by a few giggles.

Alexei stared wordlessly as Yuuri approached the announcer, who stumbled back slightly when he saw him. Otabek and Yurio were peaking out from behind the curtain, yell-whispering different things which couldn't be heard from where the Katsukis and Nikiforovs sat, but from their frantic expressions, one could guess what they were saying.

"He's... he's drunk..." muttered the horrified Alexei. "He's drunk... He's. Fucking. DRUNK!" The Russian whisper-shouted and turned to the rest of his family, all of whom looked similarly horrified. "But he only had _one_ glass of champagne... Who gave him more to drink?!"

"It was only a little bit!" admitted Sergei, Ivanna, and Yulia all at the same time, before giving each other the same looks of horrible realization. After a moment in which it seemed time had frozen, Alexei just let his head slide against the table in agony. Victor looked around at his siblings, his eyes wide as saucers. Mari had her face in one hand and both sets of parents just watched the stage with very worried expressions. Eclipse stared at Yuuri with a surprised look, her hands slowly taking the high quality digital camera on her tripod and hitting the record button. Oksana poured herself some more wine, deciding exasperatedly that she might as well be drunk too.

Meanwhile, Yuuri was trying to grab the microphone from the restaurant employee on stage who was trying to keep it out of the drunk man's reach. Yurio had a torn expression on his face, mentally battling over the urge to help his friend and the urge to leave and be humiliated by Yuuri's drunkenness no longer.

"S-sir, maybe you should-"

"Nooo, I have to do this~!" Yuuri whined before he finally got a hold of the object and faced the audience with a smile. "Hi everybody~!"

"Oh my God..." muttered the employee as he stepped back nervously, realizing now that the situation was out of his hands.

"Sorry to take your attention from all the cool music and stuff, but I have an announcement to make!" Yuuri said before striking a pose. He paused for a while and didn't see Alexei in the crowd, beating his own head against the table. Then, Yuuri looked thoughtful. "Uhh... Aw shit, I can't remember anymore..."

"ARE YOU _FUCKING_ KIDDING ME?!" Yurio could he heard yelling backstage.

At that, Alexei's head sprang up and almost immediately after, his body jumped up with it and he was on his feet yelling at the stage. "YUURI! YOUR POCKET, YUURI! LOOK IN YOUR POCKET, DAMN IT!"

But Yuuri for whatever reason either didn't hear him or was too drunk to put two and two together, so he just waved at the frantic Russian, the other hand undoing his tie. "Heeey, 'Lexi! Look, I'm on stage!"

Alexei made a noise then that was some sort of cross between a frustrated groan and an anguished shriek. It was then that Victor's siblings all joined in, getting up and gesturing to where their pockets would be.

"Your speech, Yuura!" called Ivanna.

"Look in your pocket!" shouted Sergei.

"Yuura, please!" yelled Yulia.

Yuuri might have heard them and followed their instructions if he hadn't been distracted by the next act, one of the members of The Pink Panthers, marching up on stage past the horrified Yurio and Otabek to tap him on the shoulder.

"Alright, move it along there, pal," a man of African-American heritage told him, clearly exasperated and unwilling to wait for such nonsense. "We've got a performance to put on."

The Japanese man turned then to chew the other man out until he got a good look at his face. The other man's stony expression seemed to melt away to reveal one of surprise.

"I-it's you!" gasped Yuuri, pointing at the man and stumbling backward a bit. Yuri squinted to get a better look at the guy and then realized that he too unfortunately recognized the man.

"Who's that...?" asked Otabek in a whisper when he saw his friend's expression.

"H-hey, man!" grinned the Black man, his entire demeanor suddenly becoming a lot friendlier. "You're the guy who got drunk at the Grand Prix Final gala that year!"

"And you're the singer dude!" exclaimed Yuuri, jumping up and down with excitement. "What're ya doin' here?!"

"We're on tour!" the man replied, the rest of The Pink Panthers appearing from behind the curtain. "Ever since you pulled that stunt, we've been getting a ton of work."

"You _made_ us!" said another member with curly brown hair and pale skin.

"We were just a small town Police cover band who got lucky enough to perform at that gala," pipped a third member - a man of Arabian origin with shortly cropped dark hair. "Now we're in Japan of all places, and it's all thanks to you, man!"

"Oh cool!" Yuuri smiled brightly. Needless to say, the audience was thoroughly confused at this point and even the drunken Japanese man could feel it. He had to do something to win back the crowd but mostly, to impress Victor. Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Guys, do ya think you can play something I can jam to? I'm kinda up here to surprise my beautiful, sexy, amazing boyfriend~"

In the audience, Victor smiled a little sheepishly at being complimented publicly while Alexei sprang up again. At the same time, Yuri started yelling from behind the curtain. "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" they both screamed, Alexei waving his hands back and forth. Not that again. Not here. Not now.

But these protests fell on unhearing ears as the vocalist grinned again just as he had some time ago. "We gotchu, fam."

The men took their instruments and all Alexei could do as they played was watch all of his careful planning get quickly flushed down the toilet.

"This is a nightmare...!" Yurio muttered desperately, but all he could do from where he stood was watch.

As soon as Yuuri heard the first few chords, he became that excitable drunken dancer from the banquet once more.

"That's my jam!" he shouted. "I mean, my _other_ jam! That's my other fucking JAM RIGHT THERE!"

And then, the worst thing that Alexei ever thought could happen happened: Yuuri began to sing.

_Though I've tried before to tell him,_

_Of the feelings I have for him in my heart,_

_Every time that I come near him,_

_I just lose my nerve_

_As I've done from the start._

_Every little thing he does is magic._

_Everything he do just turns me on._

_Even though my life before was tragic,_

_Now I know my love for him goes on._

Members of the crowd looked around at each other, none of them expecting to hear ska music when jazz was much more typical for that particular establishment. Alexei froze in his place with his mouth hanging open, watching with all the horrified helplessness of a witness to a murder. A surprised grin was sneaking its way onto Victor's face as Yuuri sang and danced with the microphone, swinging his hips this way and that. It reminded the Russian man of the night when he'd first met his boyfriend. Everyone else was watching with varying looks of shock and amusement now.

Oksana had a look of concern written all over her face, scared that Yuuri was humiliating himself, but then she looked about the restaurant and saw people beginning the smile and laugh a little, but not _at_ Yuuri. Many were nodding their heads and some of them were even clapping along with the beat. It seemed instead of mocking Yuuri, they were genuinely impressed by this turn of events.

Otabek and Yuri were just watching from backstage until the vocalist from before came up to them.

"Is he your friend?" he asked.

Yurio shrugged, his hands folded over his chest and his face all scrunched up. "You could say that..."

"Then what are you two doing back here?" the vocalist grinned, pulling them both by their arms. "Come on out and support him!"

Horrified, both young men began to protest, but it was too late. The two of them were on stage, staring at the audience like two deers in headlights. Yurio was fuming. Once again, Yuuri had managed to rope him into his drunken antics and once again, the teenager was forced to just try to go with the flow.

_Do I have to tell the story_

_Of a thousand rainy days since we first met?_

_It's a big enough umbrella,_

_But it's always me that ends up getting wet._

_Every little thing he does is magic._

_Everything he do just turns me on._

_Even though my life before was tragic,_

_Now I know my love for him goes on._

The two friends had no choice. Slowly, they each started to dance on either side of Yuuri and the two families erupted with laughter. Yurio was hating every moment of this, but to his utter surprise, he looked over at his friend and saw that Otabek was actually kind of getting into it. The nights he'd spent at clubs, occasionally DJing, seemed to be influencing his movements as he mentally prioritized helping Yuuri over feeling embarrassed about the situation. Yuri didn't even realize that he'd stopped dancing entirely just to get a good look at Otabek. He was actually a _very_ good dancer... Then, suddenly, the other skater was looking at him expectantly, as if he wanted Yuri to follow him. Jumping to attention immediately, Yuri did his best to imitate Otabek's moves. Luckily, years of having to learn complex routines in a short amount of time made him reasonably good at following.

The band on stage was really getting into their spontaneous performance, swaying side to side and bobbing their heads as they plucked the bass or strummed the guitar or hit the drums and offered their impromptu dancers supportive cheers. The vocalist stood off to Yuuri's side, content to add his little "ee-oh-oh"'s as Yuuri's back-up singer. The employee from before seemed to lighten up significantly as he felt the mood in the restaurant change from utter bewilderment to joyous mirth.

Even Alexei found himself relaxing a tad as he glanced about him and saw some people getting up to dance with their partners. Behind him, Victor shot up from his chair and began to cheer.

"Go, Yuuri!" laughed Victor. "That's my baby!"

Slowly, the Katsukis and the other Nikiforovs joined in as Yuuri's new cheer squad. Alexei shrugged slowly. It certainly wasn't what he'd planned, but in the end Vitya was happy. Against his better judgement, a smile crept onto the older Nikiforov twins' face.

_I resolve to call him up a thousand times a day,_

_And ask him if he'll marry me in some old fashioned way._

_But my silent fears have gripped me_

_Long before I reach the phone._

_Long before my tongue has tripped me,_

_Must I always be alone?_

_Every little thing he does is magic._

_Everything he do just turns me on._

_Even though my life before was tragic,_

_Now I know my love for him goes on._

_Every little thing he does is magic._

_Everything he do just turns me on._

_Even though my life before was tragic,_

_Now I know my love for him goes on._

Suddenly, the entire place was jumping. Hurricane Yuuri was back with a vengeance and now, it seemed that everyone could see the winds rushing past them, the rain beating down on their heads, and the drunken nymph that started it all. Victor could hardly take it anymore. He ran up, past the excited crowd, to make his way on stage.

"Oh, wait!" Yuuri announced into the mic as the music still played. "I gotta say-"

"Yuuri!" he called, catching the younger man in his arms and nearly knocking him over in the process before he could continue. The vocalist of The Pink Panthers took the microphone to finish the song while the two men rocked back and forth in their embrace. Before Yuuri knew it, Victor had pulled him into a deep, honeyed kiss while the restaurant seemed to spin around them.

_Every little thing_

_Every little thing_

_Every little thing he do is magic, magic magic!_

_Magic, magic, magic!_

_Eh oh..._

_Eee oh..._

_Eee oh oh..._

After a moment, the Japanese man pulled back to look at his Russian beau, their eyes locking in a loving gaze. "Victor," Yuuri breathed. He was going to do it. This was the time. "I..."

"Yes?"

"I..." Oh no.

"What is it, Yuuri?" Victor smiled.

Yuuri frowned. "I... I'm gonna barf."

Now, Victor frowned. "What?"

"I'm gonna puke...!" Yuuri said quickly before holding his hand in front of his mouth. Hurriedly, Victor took Yuuri by the shoulders and led him outside while everyone in the building continued to dance and be merry.

* * *

Victor sighed as he rubbed his groaning boyfriend's back gently. Yuuri was currently bent over a bush, vomiting up everything he had eaten that night. Some of the alcohol must have been coming up too because he was slowly beginning to feel a little more sober again, but that didn't seem to stop his body from heaving.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Victor cooed comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, baby," Yuuri whined between gags. Victor's heart leaped out of his chest a little bit as that was the first time he'd ever heard the other man call him "baby". It was something Yuuri always used to refer to him in his head, but the word never quite escaped the barrier of his mouth. "I ruined everything."

"That's not true!"

Both men lifted their heads to see Alexei standing near the door of the establishment. Victor's older brother walked over to them, careful not to get too close to Yuuri while he was hunched over like that.

"Is... Is everything alright?" the older platinum blond asked, giving the dark-haired man a worried look as he bent back over and emptied himself again.

Victor grimaced slightly and turned his head away from the miss on the ground, still massaging Yuuri to comfort him. "He should be fine soon..."

"I'm okay..." Yuuri said slowly, finally starting to feel a little better.

Alexei nodded. "Ah, trés bien!" He seemed a tad awkward then as if he wanted to apologize for everything – for coercing Yuuri to go up on stage, for all that happened with Ilya, for doubting Yuuri as a person in the first place – but he wasn't sure how exactly to start. "Um... Listen... I uh, I think you did a really magnificent job up there. Everything was a bit chaotic today, but you always manage to make Vitya so happy no matter what happens and for that... I'm grateful."

Both Yuuri and Victor were overjoyed. So it was true. Yuuri had managed to finally impress Alexei.

"R-really?" the raven-haired man asked, close to drunken tears.

"Really," Alexei smiled in response.

Victor gave Yuuri an ecstatic toothy grin and his shoulders raised enthusiastically as he held Yuuri steady in his arms.

"I'm so happy!" the young skater almost squealed, joyous tears threatening to fall as he took a step forward, presumably to give Victor's brother a hug, but he stumbled and nearly fell before he was caught by the two men.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Victor.

"Easy there!" said Alexei, gently pushing Yuuri back onto his feet and swinging the arm that Victor wasn't already holding over his shoulders. "We should get you home now... And I'll go buy you a sports drink once we get back. You're going to be hungover in the morning."

Yuuri pouted with a groan.

"Don't worry about it," smiled Victor. "I'll take care of you."

That seemed to lift the young man's spirits. "Will you, Vicchan?"

"Of course!"

"And I'll help too," Alexei added. "You're in good hands... Yuura."

Victor looked over Yuuri's shoulders at his brother, a surprised look on his face before it slowly melted into a content little smile. His attention was diverted quickly, however, when he heard a high pitched squealing noise coming from Yuuri, who already had tears streaking down his face.

"Alexei~...!" Yuuri sobbed, big sopping tears flowing from his brown eyes. "V-Vicchan! He called me Yuura! D-does that mean you like me now?"

The older Russian looked shocked for a second before bursting into soft laughter. "Yuura, I liked you from before too! I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time."

Yuuri sniffled loudly and leaned into Victor's body while the other two men giggled at him.

"He called me Yuura," the young man smiles widely through wet tears and a slightly runny nose. "I'm so happy~!"

As their companions began to pour out of the restaurant, which was still full of the same energy Yuuri had left it with, they pulled the drunken man back into the limo and cared for him the entire way home.

* * *

Technically, the song in this chapter was "Every Little Thing _She_ Does is Magic" by The Police, but you know... Victor's a dude. lol


	13. Return to Urussia

Last chapter! :D This story was so much fun to write. I hope you all had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. Sorry again for the long hiatus. This story would have been done a long time ago if life didn't get in the way... But I hope the experience was enjoyable anyway. ^^

* * *

_Return to Urussia_

* * *

The sunlight was not a welcome visitor in Yuuri's bedroom the next morning. The blinding light felt like it was piercing his eyelids mercilessly as he laid there in bed, all achy and tired after the previous night. Yuuri had only scattered memories of what had happened, but Eclipse's recording brought him up to speed fairly quickly. He couldn't believe he'd publicly embarrassed himself yet again and what was worse was that he didn't even confess like he'd wanted to. But, it was somehow all worth it to see Victor return to his old self again. He'd convinced Oksana to let him take over caring for Yuuri and even Alexei had come to visit a few times with bottles of Gatorade and other hangover remedies. The Japanese skater had been stuck in bed for most of the day, but he did make a point to go to breakfast even if he didn't eat anything. After all, that was the last breakfast he would have with the Nikiforovs for a while and he certainly didn't want to miss it. Even Yuri and Otabek, who decided the night before the ditch their hotel room in favour of staying at the inn for a while, were able to join them.

Currently, it was just before lunchtime and Victor was busy at work in the kitchen. He's been in there for a few hours cutting up beef and chopping vegetables and stirring things in pots. His family had brought beetroots from Vladimir's garden back home for the Katsukis to enjoy and he was about to use them. A deep savoury scent filled the air as Victor worked, and Yuri watched from a stool at the kitchen island, his elbow on the counter and hand cradling his chin.

"So what happened to that Ilya douche bag?" Yuri asked casually, slipping easily into his native Russian.

Victor sighed. "Toshiya's been talking to the police about what happened. Apparently, Ilya's going to get a fine, but since he has so much money already, it's really just a slap on the wrist to be honest..."

Yuri scrunched his face in anger and plucked a particularly ruby-coloured apple up from a nearby glass bowl of fruit. "That's bullshit."

"Yeah," Victor agreed. "But really, I'd just be happy if he never came near either Yuuri or me again. I think that the best thing to do right now is to just forget about him. He would love it if I carried anger against him for the rest of my life, kept on coming back for more... In a a way, I guess I would still be under his spell."

Yuri's blond eyebrows furrowed. He didn't understand that line of reasoning at all. If this whole thing had happened to him, he'd have gladly kicked Ilya's ass on sight the second he saw him next, but he supposed that Victor knew his ex's thought process better than he did. "Y'know, I think I remember that guy..."

"Hm?"

"He used to pick you up after practice, right?" asked Yuri, taking a bite from his apple. Emerald green eyes narrowed at the memory. "I remember seeing him. He looked like a douche bag back then too with his damned red Lambourghini..."

Victor chuckled over his stew. "I only wish I could have seen him with your eyes back then."

The Russian teen shifted slightly in his seat, not wanting to admit that he felt terribly for the way things had turned out, but unable to explain his extreme disdain for Ilya otherwise. He wanted to say something to make Victor feel better about his past misjudgement of the man, but unable to accept that he actually cared that much for his former rinkmate, Yuri convinced himself that he only wanted to ease the tension that suddenly hung in the air like a fog.

"Well, you know. You're the kind of person who just like... I dunno, wants to see the good in people. That's not bad, I guess. There are just shitty people out there and they don't think about seeing the good in others or anything like that. They're just... different. And that's hard for decent people to understand."

Victor smiled over his shoulder, turning off the stove and wiping his hands on his apron. "So, I guess what you're saying is that I'm a decent person?"

Yurio blinked before he noticed the older man grinning at him and scoffed, cheeks acquiring a slight pinkish colour. He turned his gaze toward the wall then and grumbled, "Oh, whatever... The point is, you're beating yourself up about it and that's pointless, okay? ... Now quit grinning at me."

The platinum blond turned back to the bowl of the fragrant soup he was pouring as he topped the mixture off with a bit of sour cream before sprinkling chopped chives on top. He then reached for one of the reheated pirozhki from the oven – something Yurio himself had concocted on a whim the night before to help take his mind off of the antics which occurred earlier. "You don't mind if I take some, do you?"

The teen didn't even look at him. "Yeah, whatever."

"Thanks!" Victor chirped and placed baked side on the tray beside the bowl of red soup, a hard-boiled egg and a glass of cold water. He picked up the tray with both hands and as he passed the teenage boy, Victor didn't even have to look back over his shoulder to notice Yurio eyeing the pot longingly. Victor smiled to himself as he continued on his way. "Help yourself, Yurio."

"'Kay, thanks," Yuri replied, nonchalantly, pretending to be more interested in something on his cellphone. Then, when Victor was finally out of sight and earshot, the teen looked about to make sure the coast was clear and then quickly slid off of his stool and over to the stove toward the piping hot stew. Everybody back at the skating rink in St. Petersburg knew that when Victor was making his father's borscht, you had to get your hands on it quick before it was gone, and with Yurio's own pirozhki which were just like his grandfather's recipe, it was a combination that couldn't be beat.

Yuri was almost there. He'd just fetched a bowl and a spoon from the dishwasher. They didn't have any of the runny Russian sour cream, smetana, which he was used to, but Victor apparently thought it was a good enough substitute. Yurio held the ladle delicately in his hand, but he was no longer alone.

"... Is that Vitya's borscht?"

Yurio supressed a surprised jump to turn around and see Ivanna peaking in, her excited eyes targeting the pot on the stove. "Vitya makes the best borscht...!"

"Vitya made borscht?" asked another booming voice before Sergei skipped into view.

"' _Victor's_ borscht'?" Yurio repeated. "I thought it was Mr. Nikiforov's recipe..."

"It was," said Vladimir as he hobbled in, cane in hand. "But Vitya like to improvise ingredients. Now, it seems he has his own way."

"Mmm, what is that?" asked Mari as she suddenly appeared in the doorway just behind the old man, sniffing the air a if drawn to the place by the savoury fragrance of beetroot. Before Yurio knew it, he was surrounded not only by both families bustling about to get a bowl of the delicious soup, but even Otabek came out from wherever he was hiding, already sipping at the red liquid and looking pleased with the taste when Yuri found him. So much for secretly eating a bowl on his own, Yuri sighed, as he took a few of his pirozhki from the oven.

Meanwhile, Victor had already made his way to his boyfriend's bedroom and opened the door after knocking. Inside, Yuuri groaned as he forced his body up from the bed, his stomach knotting itself in hunger, but he seemed to perk up a little bit as the pleasant but unfamiliar smell of the borscht filled the air.

"How are you feeling?" asked Victor, tray in hands.

Yuuri was happy to see Victor of course, but he had to admit that the food he brought was what was really catching his attention. Although Yuuri's aches and pains remained, his nausea had thankfully subsided and now, all that was left was this gnawing hunger in the pit of his gut. "I'm okay. A little sore though... What's what?"

Victor smiled as he set up the tray on the bed, taking a seat at the foot of the bed before carefully laying the tray on its legs between himself and his rising lover. "When Papa retired from playing hockey, he found it difficult to adjust to life with his injury. He wasn't able to do a lot of the things he was used to, so he had to find other things that he _could_ do. In the end, he found out that he loved gardening and cooking the things that he grew. Every Sunday after Mass, we'd come home and he would use the beetroots from his garden to make us borscht for lunch," Victor smiled at the memory, feeling very nostalgic. "He still makes it for Mama and some of their friends from church to this day. He's so proud of it, too! Everyone in our neighbourhood back home says his borscht is the best. But anyway, Papa taught me how to make it when I was a child. I added and changed a few things here and there, but Papa brought some of his beets from home," the platinum blond shrugged then. "Borscht always makes me feel a little better. I thought maybe it would help."

Yuuri looked then from Victor to the red liquid with a spot of white in the centre, a soft steam wafting off of it temptingly. It sure looked and smelled tasty so with a smile, he pulled the tray over his legs and took a bit of the soup in the spoon, blowing it off before he could place it into his mouth. The warmth of the soup was complimented well by the sweet and sour taste of it and it sent a pleasant tingle throughout Yuuri's body, the ghost of a nostaliga he had only just been acquainted with seeming to welcome him to glimpse at Victor's childhood.

"Vakusno!" Yuuri chirped happily, his slightly off pronunciation of 'vkusno' causing a grin to tug at Victor's lips.

"It's good?" Victor asked.

"It's amazing," said Yuuri, eating a little more.

"Glad you like it! I wasn't entirely sure how it would be without the smetana and we didn't have as much meat left as I thought we did..."

"Even so, it's perfect," the dark haired man assured the platinum blond. "I didn't know you could cook so well!"

Victor shrugged sheepishly. "Honestly, that borscht is one of the only things I actually know how to make. But I'll learn. I'll need to if we're ever going to move in together."

Yuuri had to admit that he'd almost forgotten about their hunt for an apartment with all of the excitement of the past little while. He wondered briefly what that would be like; the two of them waking up early to walk Makkachin, eating breakfast without the rest of his family there, training at the rink, cooking for each other so they could eat again, sleeping in a bigger bed... It shouldn't have been a scary thought after having travelled the globe with Victor, but something about it seemed so wonderfully close to marriage that it gave him a pleasant sort of anxiety. Maybe, he thought, when their lives weren't as chaotic, maybe he would ask Victor to marry him someday... Yuuri's cheeks warmed at the idea and his eyes wandered toward the gold ring on his finger as Victor went about gathering garbage from his nightstand to be taken to the kitchen.

"Do you need another painkiller?" asked Victor, taking the old glass which used to be full of water in one hand.

"No, I think I'm good."

"And you're not nauseous anymore, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then," satisfied, Victor headed toward the door and looked back at his boyfriend over his shoulder. "Text me if you need anything, okay sweetheart?"

"Yeah..."

With that, the platinum blond was about to leave, but something told Yuuri he had to stop him.

"Vicchan?"

The other man stopped and turned around again. "Yes, Yuuri?"

There was a pause, the air between them pregnant with anticipation. This wasn't anything extravagant – it wasn't a fancy restaurant with a stage, it wasn't the picturesque Hasetsu Beach where Victor had first admitted his feelings so long ago, but Yuuri's heart was overflowing just the same and it was showing in the expression on his face.

"Victor... I love you."

The Russian man froze in place, just staring back at Yuuri with the same slightly confused expression as when the other man had first called out to him. Yuuri continued, his nerves now creeping up behind him a little bit, but he carried on nonetheless. "That's, um... That's what I wanted to say yesterday until, well, until everything happened... I... I love you and I really look forward to spending my life with you."

The room was silent. Victor's expression had softened but remained unreadable. Yuuri twitched. Had he done something wrong? What was happening? Then he stiffened a little when he noticed a small crystalline tear run down the length of Victor's face, his silvery eyebrows slowly coming together. _Oh God!_ Yuuri thought. _I... I made him cry! Again!_ "V-Vicchan...?"

Suddenly, Victor was no longer at the door. Everything he'd been holding lay abandoned on the floor now and Yuuri found himself nearly knocked backwards as the Russian man wrapped him tightly in his arms, face now buried in his shoulder. Yuuri paused. He could hear Victor sobbing softly. He could feel his body shaking. All Yuuri could think of was to slowly drape his arms over Victor's back, a perplexed look on his face. Had he really done something wrong? "V-Vicchan, I'm sorry, I...!"

"Yuuri!" Victor said in a trembling voice. He pulled back then to reveal that even though his blue eyes were full of tears, he was smiling. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that!"

 _What a relief,_ Yuuri thought, his body growing less tense as he smiled warmly at his shaking boyfriend. He really thought he'd hurt Victor in some way, but what he thought to be sadness were only tears of joy. "I'm just sorry it took so long."

Victor shook his head and pushed his forehead affectionately against Yuuri's. "I would have waited an eternity."

At that, Yuuri giggled a little causing them both to laugh despite themselves. Somewhere along the line, the laughter turned into Yuuri giving Victor an affectionate little peck on the lips which Victor of course couldn't help but return. They were smiling and deepening their kisses and suddenly, Yuuri felt himself slipping back into that pleasant little world where only the two of them existed. They were in absolute nirvana until a sound behind Victor's back caught their attention.

"Oi, Victor!" called Yurio, coming up the hallway with an empty bowl of borscht in one hand. "We're out of borscht. Make us some mo-"

The couple turned their heads toward the teenager, lips separating with a wet pop. It took Yurio all of 0.2 seconds to realize what he'd just interrupted and so he immediately turned on his heel and headed back from where he came. " _Good bye_ ," he muttered, a slow flush developing across his pale face. Had he the peace of mind at the time, he might have chewed them up for making out with the door wide open, but Yurio just wanted to leave fast and didn't have the time to think of that.

Victor leaped up, his huge heart-shaped grin contradicting the lingering red glossiness of his eyes. "Yurio!" he called out, arms above his head as he ran to catch up. "Yuuri said he loves me!"

"I don't care," the teenager growled, shuffling faster to get away from him, but the platinum blond was skipping and pirouetting very close behind.

Yuuri watched sheepishly as the two of them disappeared from sight like an excited older sibling and the younger sibling who wanted nothing to do with it. A little laugh escaped his throat as Yuuri remembered Sergei's words from the night before.

" _Then, well, the confession sort of just slipped out when she was giving me medicine. I guess I couldn't hold it in any longer."_

His gaze returned to the meal on his tray. It wasn't medicine exactly, but it was something Victor had given him to make him feel better and just like the giant had said, Yuuri's love ended up overflowing as the love of his life was caring for him. _I wonder what Sergei will say when he hears this?_ Yuuri wondered, polishing off his soup before moving on to the Russian dumpling at the side, but a heavy rumbling coming from down the hall stole his attention.

"YUURAAA~!" bellowed Sergei's deep, loud voice as he scampered toward the much tinier man. "YOU DID IT! YOU CONFESSED! YOU CONFESSED!" Yuuri could only scream and bunch himself up into a ball as the titan ran in and nearly glomped him to death.

* * *

It felt like only minutes before the party was piling into multiple taxis and making the hour-long trek toward the airport in Fukuoka. The entire ordeal was a little surreal to Yuuri. At the beginning of the week, he and his family feared the Nikiforovs. Now, they were each a tearful mess at the thought of them going back home to Europe. Victor was especially teary, just holding his brothers and sisters and both his sisters-in-law for extended periods and muttering in Russian about how he would come and visit. Otabek and Yuri, who were going to be staying at Yu-Topia Katsuki for the rest of their vacation, stood back as best their could, but Yuri especially could not avoid all of the hugs and pecks on the cheek as the Nikiforovs' plane landed, preparing to accept passengers as they stood in the terminal.

"Please come visit soon, Vitya!" Anastasia sobbed, her long thin arms nearly crushing her son's torso just like she did when she first arrived. This time, Vladimir was also there with his short stubby body only reaching just above Victor's hips, but he was squeezing the younger man just as much.

"Yes, I make borscht for you!" said Vladimir, his usually gruff voice much softer.

"I can't wait, Papa," Victor replied, his eyes getting glossy again as he embraced both his parents.

Yuuri looked around at the scene before him. Sergei had both Ivanna and Mari in each of his powerful arms, sobbing loudly like a toddler who'd just been told he may have no more candy, but even though this would have made Mari cringe just days ago, she had her face buried in his ample heaving chest instead. She was going to miss the big old lump.

Beside them, Oksana had Yuri above the ground as she hugged him, her cheek pressed against his while he flailed about like a cat who didn't want to take a bath. "And you'll come visit us too, right, Yurachka?" she asked, nuzzling against him like he wasn't kicking and screaming in her grip. "You'll bring your handsome friend too, right?"

"Woman, get off me!" Yuri screeched and Otabek blushed at being called handsome.

Eclipse was over with Hiroko, sobbing softly as the older woman held her as if she were her mother, and Yulia was saying her heartfelt good byes to Toshiya while holding his hands in hers. Makkachin weaved about the humans, receiving a pet on the head or a kiss or some other affectionate good bye wherever he could. He didn't quite understand what was going on, but he remained positive with his tail wagging behind him.

Yuuri smiled to himself. He really was going to miss them.

"Yuura!" someone called. The Japanese skater turned to see Alexei already running into him, catching him in an embrace before he could say anything. Eyes wide, Yuuri's hand absently found the blade of the other man's back. After a second, Alexei pulled away, but he still had his hands on Yuuri's shoulders. "Thank you so much for everything, Yuura... Just..." his eyes were a little glossy. "I just... Thank you."

"Thank you for coming," Yuuri replied happily. Although it took him the longest to get close to Alexei, he was really going to miss him. "I'm really going to miss you guys."

"We'll miss you too!" Suddenly, both men were floating off the ground in Sergei's massive, teary embrace, Yuuri and Alexei yelping somewhat as they were swept up. " _Please_ come and visit us, guys!"

"W-we'll keep... keep in touch!" Yuuri struggled, trying to breathe while being squished nearly to death, his legs dangling above the ground.

"For Christ's sake, Sergei!" Alexei managed to squeeze out, kicking his legs slightly. "You'll suffocate us both!"

As if struck with realization, Sergei quickly and gently put both men back on their feet, the two finally able to breathe properly. "Oh, haha," he chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Yuura," suddenly, Anastasia and Vladimir had appeared from behind the giant, the two smiling warmly. The old woman stepped forward to embrace the young man and place a quick peck upon his cheek. "Thank you so much for being there for Vitya. It's so hard when he's far away, but I'm glad to know he'll be okay with you here."

"Do not become stranger," said Vladimir as his wife pulled away, pulling Yuuri into a hug himself.

"Oh! One last thing..." came yet another voice. This time, it was Yulia. The small crowd parted as she made her way over to the Japanese man and dipped her index and middle fingers into something at her side. Before Yuuri knew it, she was touching his forehead with the familiar smelling oil.

Nearby, Ivanna raised an eyebrow. " _Sesame oil_?"

Yulia opened one eye to look at her sister playfully. "I've blessed it, so it's fine."

A grin made its way across Yuuri's face while Victor nearly burst out laughing from his place beside his beloved dog. No one other than the three seemed to understand the significance of the action, but it was alright. Everyone continued to exchange good byes and it seemed like it was far too early when the announcement to board the plane finally came over the speakers.

"Call us as soon as you land!" said Hiroko to Anastasia.

"Yes, of course," the older woman replied.

"Vitya, let's plan for the next reunion as soon as I get back to Ukraine!" hollered Sergei, walking backwards with his luggage.

"Yeah! Bring Dmitri this time!" Victor yelled back, waving good bye.

"Mari!" called Oksana, making a 'call me' motion with her thumb and forefinger. "When we get back!"

"I'll let you know how things go with the guy next door!" shouted Ivanna. Mari was waving back at them with both arms.

"We be seeing you again!" said Vladimir from beside Eclipse.

And with that, the family turned a corner and they were gone.

"Bye, everyone! Take care!" shouted Victor after them even though he couldn't see them anymore. When his blue eyes looked like he might tear up again, Yuuri slipped an arm around his waist and pulled the older man closer. Victor's head ended up resting against Yuuri's shoulder as he kept on staring down the hall where he'd last seen his large family. Makkachin nuzzled his furry head against his owner's thigh to comfort him and the Katsukis stepped closer to the couple to offer their own silent support. Victor, Makkachin, Yurio, Otabek and the Katsuki family spent another hour at the airport so they could watch the plane as it finally took off. Victor stood at the window and followed its progression with his eyes, knowing that it wouldn't be long before he could see those lovably Annoying Aliens again. Yuuri was beside him the whole time. He didn't want for Victor to feel alone at all seeing the people he grew up with leave once again.

"You okay?" Yuuri asked slowly, the air plane now a mere speck against the dark blue sky.

Victor smiled and nodded. "Yeah," then he turned to the rest of the family. "Let's go home."

* * *

One year and a few months later, Yuuri stepped out of a taxi cap to help his father take their luggage out of the trunk while Victor paid the driver. He looked around him and almost couldn't believe how warm Moscow could be in the summer. As Mari took her bags and headed up the steps to the front door with Makkachin, she could already hear the loud chatter from within the old brick house Victor had grown up in.

"Sounds like the gang's all here, eh Makka?" she asked, looking down at the poodle while the rest of her party was half way up the stairs. The dog only stared up at her, tilting his head slightly to the side.

Finally making his way up to the door, Victor bounced slightly at the doorstep. "They're all inside now!"

"Well, Vicchan, what are you waiting for?" Toshiya asked with playful impatience. "Ring the bell already!"

The old doorbell rang and suddenly, the chaos inside seemed to quiet down. Yuuri waited for a second, the anticipation growing as the family stood in place. Slowly, the large wooden door opened and Alexei, with his puffy white hair that had grown long enough for him to braid behind his head, appeared through the crack.

"Vitya! Yuura!" he greeted each of them with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then he made his way past them to Hiroko, Toshiya, and Mari to greet them similarly. "So nice to see you all again!"

Yuuri was about to reply, but then three little voices and the sound of three sets of tiny feet came barelling toward them. "Dyadya Vitya!" the three children called and ran past their father and straight into Victor's arms, knocking their giggling uncle back on his butt as the children embraced him tightly. Yuuri smiled broadly while Makkachin joined in, licking Victor's face happily while the kids continued to chatter and crowd him.

"Moi milyye! Pozhaluysta!" said Alexei, trying to stop his daughters and son from glomping his brother, but Victor was too busy laughing with the children to notice.

"Privet, vy malen'kiye monstry!" he giggled. "Gde Dyadya Dima? I Babushka?"

"Babushka?" the oldest girl asked, her dark hair as puffy as her father's.

" _Moya_ Babushka, ty glupaya devchonka," Victor grinned. "Babushka Papa. _Deystvitel'no staraya_ Babushka."

"She's inside," Alexei laughed. "And you should all be inside too! Come in then!"

"Vitya," came the voice of a very old woman in the nearby living room as the Katsukis entered the old brick house built by Victor's ancestors many generations ago. A mischievous grin spread across the Russian man's face.

"You're in trouble now," warned Alexei, the corner of his mouth curling up as he locked the aged hatch on the door.

"Da, Babushka?" Victor put his arm around Yuuri's shoulders. He couldn't understand what his boyfriend was saying, but the young skater had an idea that he was about to meet a few more of the Nikiforov clan.

"Kto ty zvonish', ty staryy grubyy malen'kiy mal'chik?"

Rounding the corner, Yuuri in hand as Alexei helped Hiroko and Toshiya with their things, a tiny old Eastern European woman with her hair bound underneath a thin blue veil as she sat back in a long black dress and a comfortable looking straw chair. This was Babushka – Victor's last surviving grandparent from his father's side. Just like with Vladimir, Yuuri could already tell that she and Victor had the same sort of playfully antagonistic relationship that he'd seen at the ice rink so long ago. Beside her was a tall bespectacled young redhead, probably just about Victor's age, who seemed to be tending to her needs. When he lifted his rosy head and saw them, his face lit up immediately.

"Dima!" Victor said excitedly, taking the man in his arms while still grasping Yuuri's hand.

"Vitya! Long time, no see!" surprisingly, the ginger spoke English with something closer to a British accent rather than a Russian one. This must have been "cousin" Dmitri, who was really Victor's nephew by Sergei and Oksana, but the fact that he had been born only about a year or two after made it too awkward for him to call his father's youngest brother "uncle". Besides, they played together so much as children that they were a lot like real cousins anyway. Dmitri Nikiforov wasn't able to attend the first reunion due to his prior engagements in England where he was studying medicine.

When he was finished with Dmitri, Victor finally let go of Yuuri's hand to make his way over to the elderly woman. In the back, the chatter seemed to reach a crescendo as the rest of the family realized that the Katsukis were here. Yuuri's boyfriend bent at his hip to give his grandmother a hug.

"Privet, Babushka," he grinned.

"Ya dolzhen otshlepat' vas za etot grubyy rot," she said in faux anger that made Victor laugh after she'd pulled his face into her dry old hands and placed a kiss on each cheek. "Kakoy mal'chik moy syn podnyal?" the old Russian woman then looked past her grandson and directly at Yuuri, who was standing there waiting to be introduced. "A kto eto? Moy novyy zyat'?"

Victor pulled back, looking a little surprised while Dmitri snickered behind him. Yuuri looked a bit nervous now. Babushka only knew Russian, so she certainly wasn't trying to be rude by not addressing him, but it felt a little weird that he didn't know what was being said about him. Nonetheless, Yuuri wore the most pleasant smile he could muster in the face of uncertainty.

"Nu..." Victor seemed to explain, "My poka ne uvereny."

"Aaahh..." Babushka groaned dismissively. She didn't understand this generation's hesitance when it came to marriage. She and her sweetheart – God bless his soul – had already tied the knot long before they were Victor and Yuuri's ages and they certainly hadn't been living together unmarried for so long like they did.

Victor chuckled at her and then turned to Yuuri. "Yuuri, this is my beloved Babushka. Babushka, eto moy drug, Yuuri."

"Zdravstvuyte, Babushka," said Yuuri, using a polite greeting in his very minimal Russian as oppose to the casual one Victor just used. "Eto priyatno vstretit'sya s vami."

"Tak vezhlivy! Ne tak, kak ty, Vitya. Ya predpolagayu, chto on budet delat'," the old woman grinned then, her mouth forming a familiar heart-shape. "Mne nravitsya yego plotnyy zad."

Victor's eyes became as wide as saucers and even Dmitri looked disturbed. "Babushka!" the redhead exclaimed.

"Nu ya!" replied the old woman with a hearty laugh.

"Ehh, what did she say?" Yuuri asked Victor.

Victor turned a little bit pink and smiled sheepishly. "I'll tell you later..."

Yuuri pouted. He knew it couldn't be helped, but he didn't like not knowing what they were talking about. His boyfriend sighed and relented when he saw this look.

"She uh..." Victor started. "She likes your ass."

Now it was Yuuri's turn to be wide-eyed while Babushka continued to laugh. The Japanese skater didn't even have time to process what the old woman had said before the other Nikiforovs came bursting in to greet them.

"Vitya! Yuura!" the crowd of familiar faces chanted and soon, the two of them found themselves being passed from tight embrace to tight embrace as the Russians swarmed them.

"Yuura, we missed you!" Ivanna squealed, jumping up and down as she held him.

"Welcome to our home!" said Anastasia.

"Welcome back home, Vitya!" said gigantic Sergei, who was holding his brother far too tightly.

The three small children from before and two older twin sisters – Ivanna's daughters by a previous husband – swirled into the mixture of Nikiforovs and Katsukis, mostly just to cling to their Dyadya Vitya and Makkachin. As Yuuri found himself being slowly released from the storm of affection, he marvelled at the group and watched their interactions. Funny how Victor always credited Yuuri with giving him his life and love but now, from where Yuuri was standing, it seemed he'd walked into a lot of love just by being with Victor. He never would have met the Nikiforovs if not for Victor, never would have absorbed them into his own family as they absorbed his into theirs. It was hard to believe now how rocky things were when they all first met, but Yuuri couldn't be happier with how everything unfolded.

In Yuuri's head, he imagined how everyone would be at his and Victor's wedding (not that Yuuri had even popped the question yet, but he liked to fantasize)... And then, he noticed, he'd been surrounded by the little ones all at once, a bunch of large eyes on little faces staring up at him relentlessly. Yuuri yelped a bit when he first saw them, but then tried to regain his composure and put on a smile.

"Eh, hello!" he said, knowing that each of them had supposedly learned English in school. The children merely continued to gaze at him. Yuuri sweat a little bit and gave Victor a look that seemed to scream for help.

"Ah, kids!" Victor said, swooping in to save the day. "Remember what we were talking about over the phone? This is Dyadya Yuuri from Japan. He's my-"

"Are you dating my Dyadya?" asked the eldest of Alexei's children, the girl with the poofy dark hair who Yuuri remembered was named Svetlana.

"Oh, uh yes."

"Are you from Japan?" asked the middle boy – platinum blond Kaspar.

"Y-yes, I am."

"How serious is this relationship really?" asked both the blue-eyed twin girls – Nadia and Sonya, if memory serves, who couldn't have been more than only 10 years old.

"Huh?"

"Do dey have dogs in Japan?" chirped little Aldona, Alexei's youngest.

"Children, children!" Victor said, both hands up in front of him. "Dyadya Yuuri is feeling very jet-lagged, so why don't you ask him questions after dinner once he's settled, okay?"

As everyone piled into the dining room, Yulia helping Babushka out of her seat, Yuuri took Victor's hand and realized with some amusement that the Nikiforov family wasn't done surprising him with their outlandish antics just yet.

* * *

**Translations**

* * *

– Alexei's kids: "Dyadya Vitya!" – "Uncle Vitya!"

– Alexei: "Moi milyye! Pozhaluysta!" – "My darlings! Please!"

– Victor: "Privet, vy malen'kiye monstry! Gde Dyadya Dima? I Babushka?" – "Hello, my little monsters! Where's Uncle Dima? And Grandma?"

– Victor: " _Moya_ Babushka, ty glupaya devchonka. Babushka Papa. _Deystvitel'no staraya_ Babushka." – " _My_ Grandma, you silly girl. Daddy's Grandma. The _really old_ Grandma."

– Victor: "Da, Babushka?" – "Yes, Grandma?"

– Babushka: "Kto ty zvonish', ty staryy grubyy malen'kiy mal'chik?" – "Who are you calling old, you rude little boy?"

– Victor: "Privet, Babushka." – "Yo, Babushka."

– Babushka: "Ya dolzhen otshlepat' vas za etot grubyy rot." – "I should spank you for your rude mouth."

– Babushka: "Kakoy mal'chik moy syn podnyal?" – "What kind of boy has my son raised?"

– Babushka: "A kto eto? Moy novyy zyat'?" – "And who is that? My new son-in-law?"

– Victor: "Nu... My poka ne uvereny." – "Well... We're not sure yet."

– Victor: "Babushka, eto moy drug, Yuuri." – "Grandma, this is my boyfriend, Yuuri."

– Yuuri: "Zdravstvuyte, Babushka. Eto priyatno vstretit'sya s vami." – "Hello, Grandma. It's a pleasure to meet you."

– Babushka: "Tak vezhlivy! Ne tak, kak ty, Vitya. Ya predpolagayu, chto on budet delat'. Mne nravitsya yego plotnyy zad." – "So polite! Not like you, Vitya. I suppose he'll do fine. I like his tight ass."

– Babushka: "Nu ya!" – "Well I do!"

* * *

I just want to thank everyone who read this story, sent me feedback, and was just generally part of the journey in any way. It really has been quite a trip! This is my first finished fanfic ever (that's not a one-shot) and I'm happy that I was able to create something for all of you to enjoy! :D

Now, is this the end of Urussia Yatsura? Officially, yes, but that said, I do write one-shots whenever inspiration strikes and it's totally possible that the Annoying Aliens will appear in my writing again~! See you next time!

Thanks again for reading my story, everyone! I really had a lot of fun. :3

* * *

**Answers to Questions No One Asked**

* * *

So, here's where I thought I'd dump a bunch of information about my thoughts while writing, what I was going for, details I didn't end up having room for, etc.. Enjoy!

\- Some of you might not remember this from the author's note in the first chapter, but this story was originally going to be a one-shot which I was going to add to my one-shot compilation story, Victorious (which can be found on ff.net under the username moonbow-gem), however, it started getting REALLY long, so I had to make it a story of its own.

\- Originally, the only thing I had planned was up to about chapter 3. By then, I realized the story couldn't be a oneshot anymore, but then, I didn't know where to take it from there. When I started the story, however, the first season was still playing so I was able to take a lot of inspiration from that. Remembering people's questions about the ring Victor wore during the press conference at the beginning of the series, I decided to introduce the idea that he had been engaged to a man who was covertly abusive and Victor hadn't really realized just how unhappy he really was until he met Yuuri, who was able to make him feel this happiness he hadn't felt in a long time after knowing him for just one night.

\- I used a lot of travel websites and even Google Maps while writing this story. LOL I realized fairly quickly that I had no idea what types of things the families could do in Kyushu. At first, I figured they could just hitch a bus ride to Tokyo, but I checked it out on Google and I realized that that really wasn't doable unless they were also going to be staying in Tokyo for the entire duration of their trip. ^^; So I had to find more local things for them to do. I had to actually get an idea of where Hasetsu could have been located (and since it's based off of a real town called Karatsu, I figured it was in the same place). That said, Hasetsu Kunchi is actually Karatsu Kunchi irl. :)

\- Otabek and Yurio originally weren't going to make an appearance in the story, but when I had little snippets of Ilya tracking down Victor, some people started asking if it was Yurio! lol So I started thinking that Yurio might be a good red herring for a little while before Ilya's reveal, but I didn't want him to just be there alone, so Otabek got dragged into it too. And just to be honest, yes, I did want to imply a little Otayuri. lol

\- Even though Yurio and Otabek weren't originally planned, the dinner was. After I had those two appear, I just figured I'd put them at the dinner too.

\- If y'all want to know, Yuri and Otabek did see Ilya leaving at the airport as they were going back to Russia (and Otabek would later fly back to Kazakhstan). Otabek had to hold Yuri back because he was going to kick that man's ass _on sight_.

\- I tried to have most of the music choices make sense. "Message in a Bottle", for example, I thought could kind of describe how both Victor and Yuuri are kind of feeling lost at that moment (Yuuri being humiliated and contemplating giving up, Victor being coerced into a huge life decision by an abusive fiance) but then they find each other and they're two lost people who suddenly don't feel so alone anymore... Plus, I have this headcanon that Yuuri loves ska music. LOL

\- Someone had pointed out how "99 Red Balloons" didn't make much sense, and that's probably because I stuck it in their purely because it wouldn't leave my head! But I tried to balance it out later with Ilya's ringtone which was about war and battle. The Nikiforovs are peaceful so they're associated with an anti-war song and I wanted to hint at Ilya's eventual reveal as a violent person without being too direct about it.

\- Pretty much immediately after hearing Nijikan Dake no Vacance and seeing the video for the first time, I decided that I had to use the song for a Victuuri fanfiction. I wasn't sure what, but I had to use it. I think that what really prompted that was the scene in the video where Hikaru and Ringo are hugging each other and it looks like the universe is revolving around them because I can totally picture that as Yuuri and Victor (perhaps a repeat of the reunion hug?).

\- When I first thought about Victor's family, the very first thought that came to my mind was that given Victor's personality, these people HAVE to be just this group of weirdos who are somewhat oblivious to everyone elses' perceptions of them. I also knew that they had to be artists and athletes. I just wanted it to be really obvious how Victor could have descended from them. lol

\- I was once asked to write some Victuuri smut and while I might like to do so in the future, I actually only started writing it very recently. lmao If you go to my profile on Fanfiction.net (moonbow-gem), the only smut I have there is a Mystic Messenger oneshot. Night of the Annoying Aliens is the first time I ever wrote anything even close to gay smut. LOL Not that it's really that different from straight smut, but being a woman, I have no experience with male/male sex so I really don't even know where to start when it comes to like... anal sex or something. If anyone can direct me to some good Victuuri smut so I can "research", then that might be helpful!

\- There are some family members who didn't quite make it into the story. I sorta smooshed them in at the end there. lol One such character is Dmitri, Sergei's son who is currently studying medicine in England. He's in his mid 20s and I imagine him to be kind of serious and very studious. Dmitri and Victor see themselves more as cousins than a nephew and an uncle because they're so close in age. They haven't seen each other in a while, but they talk on Skype. Dmitri's started to pick up a British accent because he's been there so long.

\- You might have also noticed that Alexei and Eclipse have three children. Their names and ages are Svetlana (8), Kasper (7), and Aldona (4) and they're all staying with Eclipse's mom in Poland while their parents are on vacation. :) Svetlana has a crush on her Dyadya Vitya and tells all her school friends that he's her uncle whenever he's on TV. They mostly speak Polish at home, but their Russian is good enough to communicate with their relatives.

\- Ivanna's girls are both 12. They always ask tough, hard-hitting questions. Ivanna thinks they might go into journalism when they grow up.

\- It's mentioned in the story that Ivanna was married and divorced three and a half times. Honestly, I didn't know what that meant either. I just thought that it added to the idea of her being eccentric. lmao However, I started thinking of her partners. I think that the first person was probably a conductor or a musician, but he was a man who was a lot older than her much like with Victor and Ilya. He wasn't exactly abusive like Ilya, but he did seem pretty paternal at times and thus didn't always respect Ivanna as an adult. The next husband was closer to her age, but he was kind of a fuckboy. He's the twins' father. Her last husband was a poet who was kind of pompous and thought a little too highly of himself and his intelligence. They had sort of a "spiritual" marriage (as in one not recognized by law), but it fell apart like the others. Ivanna still dates, but she's not exactly rushing to get into a relationship. Her twin daughters were staying with her father during the story while she was on vacation. The fuckboy husband is a cheater, but he's also a good father, so he and Ivanna are more friendly toward each other than they were.

\- Yulia realized at a young age that she'd allowed a lot of her identity to be based on her twin brother – just following him around and doing whatever he was doing – so that's why she went on her journey to find herself. She's tried a lot of things: she lived almost a hippie lifestyle for a while, then she became quite involved in politics, then she joined a nudist colony, and then she finally settled down as a nun. Yulia's pretty happy with her recent life decision and believes she'll be Sister Julia for a long time, but she's constantly open to change and trying new things. Adopting new lifestyles doesn't bother her the way it does other people. She doesn't feel displaced or lost – she sees change as a natural part of personal growth.

* * *

_"There is no real ending. It's just the place where you stop the story."_ ― Frank Herbert


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